Out of Time
by Iratus
Summary: John & Rodney are stranded. John is hurt and it's Rodney's fault. The Wraith are on the way and Rodney is out of his depth. Will Atlantis find them in time?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Elizabeth entered the conference room carrying her data-pad in one hand and her much needed coffee in the other. She noted that Sheppard was already there along with Ronon and Teyla. They were all laughing over a shared joke. She smiled at the image as she greeted them.

"Morning."

Sheppard acknowledged her with a nod "Elizabeth"

Weir returned his nod noticing that despite his mirth moments ago he looked tired. She made a mental note to talk to him about taking a few days off. Her attention was distracted as Rodney entered the room carrying his data pad and grumbling about his incompetent staff.

"What have they done now?" asked Weir not sure that she really wanted to know.

"Drank the last of the coffee I'm betting." suggested Sheppard.

Rodney gave Sheppard a glare before Ronon laughed and said "Sheppard's right."

Weir hid her smirk behind her coffee cup.

"I'll have you know my morning coffee is very important."

"I am sure that it is." Stated Teyla.

"Okay. Have we all had our fun now?" asked Rodney as he sat down next to Sheppard.

"So Rodney, what's so interesting about PX3-M37 that you want to bump the visit to the Delarians that has been planned for the last month?" asked Weir.

"Only one of the largest Ancient settlements in the Pegasus Galaxy. There is bound to be at least one ZPM, drones, puddlejumpers .."

"Breathe, Rodney."

"I thought you'd be more excited given weapons may be involved."

"10,000 years is a long time. Who is to say it is still there?" asked Sheppard.

"That is why we need to check it out. This is the best chance we had for a long time to find what we need to defend ourselves against the Wraith."

"Okay." Replied Sheppard.

"Okay Rodney. Send a MALP. If it checks out then you have a go."

Everyone stood to leave. Rodney was the first out the door saying "I can have the MALP ready to go in 15 minutes."

"John can I talk to you for a moment?" asked Weir.

"Sure. What's up?"

"You look tired. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine."

Weir gave him her skeptical look.

"It's true. I'm fine. " replied Sheppard with a lop-sided smile.

"That may be but I think you've earned a day off. Lorne can take this mission."

"What?" Sheppard's smile left his face as he took in what she had said before challenging her. "I'll take the day off tomorrow if you do too. When was the last time you had a day off?"

Weir frowned and shook her head. When had she lost control of this conversation.

"I have far too much work to do to take tomorrow off and this wasn't about me. I'm not the one out there taking all of the risks."

"No you're the one who has to watch and wait not knowing whether we are dead or injured. And you're the one who has to make the final decisions that could result in people being killed. I'll take a day off when you do. We can visit the Athosians or the Delarians. We could even sit out on the East Pier and do nothing."

Weir studied the serious look on Sheppard's face and thought about a lazy day on the pier. It did sound good.

"Okay we both take a day off once you've checked out this planet."

Sheppard smiled at her reply and followed her out to the control room where Rodney had a MALP ready to go.

"Good I was wondering when you two were going to get here."

"Just dial the planet, Rodney."

Rodney mumbled something under his breath as he selected the glyphs for the gate address. The wormhole established and he sent the MALP forward through the event horizon as Sheppard and Weir watched the monitor expectantly.

"We should be receiving a signal . . .now." The static resolved to a black screen. "Oh. I guess it's night." Rodney sounded a little disappointed.

"What about the other readings?" asked Sheppard.

Rodney glanced at the computer screen in front of him and replied. "Breathable air. Cool but not too cold. There is no cloud cover at present. No life signs near the gate." Rodney paused as he looked at the screen.

"What is it Rodney?" asked Weir.

Rodney turned to look at both Sheppard and Weir. "There is an energy signal in the direction of the Ancient settlement. We might have found ourselves a ZPM."

Weir had a smile on her face at the thought of a ZPM. Maybe their luck was changing and they would be in a position to at least mount a reasonable defense against the Wraith.

"How long are the nights on this planet?" asked Sheppard

"Let me see." Rodney studied the data for a while and made some calculations on his data pad. "I'd say about 12 hours but the night could've started 2 hours ago or 10."

"Either way we leave in 12 hours."

"We're taking a puddle jumper this time right? I mean the settlement is several kilometers from the gate and I need to take my equipment."

John rolled his eyes. "Okay we can take a jumper."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Wow I'm amazed by the number of hits since posting my first chapter of my very first fanfic. Thanks for those who took the time to review. I have a rough outline of where I want this story to go but if anyone has any ideas to throw into the pot to add depth to the story then feel free. I will credit the source for all ideas borrowed. Hopefully I continue to keep your interest.

I apologise that this is only a short chapter but I wanted to get something out there for those that wanted a quick update. I'm not sure how quick the next one will be as I have to travel interstate for work each week at the moment and I don't have easy access to the internet. I do have some free time in the evenings though to work on the next installments. So hopefully I can post a few chapters on my return.

Disclaimers: The usual stuff . I make no claim on the characters or general mythos only on any original ideas.

Chapter 2

Weir stood next to Chuck in the control room and watched as the puddle jumper lowered gently from the jumper bay. She'd never tire of watching the Ancient technology or stop being amazed at how easily controlling that technology came to her 2IC. Nor would she stop being anxious every time a team stepped through the gate leaving her to worry whether they'd come back in one piece or come back at all.

Sheppard's voice came over her radio interrupting her thoughts. "We'll be back in time for dinner."

She smiled at his remark. _He knows I worry. _"I'll hold you to that. Stay safe."

Sheppard eased the controls and took them into the event horizon. Moments later they emerged into the early morning on PX3-M37.

"Great it's raining." complained Rodney.

"At least we are not walking." replied Teyla sincerely.

"Do you ever stop complaining?" asked Ronon studying the back of Rodney's head from his position in the seat behind him.

"That wasn't a complaint. It..It was a comment."

"Well if you have finished commenting, Rodney, could you look for the settlement and this energy signature that you were so keen about yesterday?" added Sheppard as he studied the HUD that he'd called up.

Rodney glanced at Sheppard then turned his attention to his data pad pressing a few buttons to bring up the details that he was after. "Sure it is over here" pointing to a flashing dot on the HUD. "Great it's surrounded by trees. Now we will have to walk."

Teyla and Ronon shared a smile at Rodney's comments whilst Sheppard patiently replied "A little water won't hurt you."

"I'll have you know I catch colds very easily."

"And everything else." mumbled Ronon.

"What did you just say?" asked Rodney turning in his seat. "I'm not a hypochondriac. I.."

"You just have a delicate disposition. Yeah we know. Now focus, Rodney."

Rodney gave Ronon another look before returning his attention to the data pad.

The jumper flew over spectacular scenery en-route to the settlement. This planet was covered in large tracts of trees and had large rivers flowing down from the distant mountains.

"It is so beautiful." remarked Teyla. "There must be much game with water this plentiful."

Rodney looked up from his data pad at her remark a worried expression glued to his face.

Ronon smirked at his reaction and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry we'll protect you."

"Is that the settlement?" asked Teyla spotting a structure reaching out from the forest.

"Yes it is." replied Rodney as an image of the structure appeared on the HUD.

"I thought that you said this was one of the largest Ancient settlements in the Pegasus Galaxy, Rodney. It doesn't look that big to me."

"Hallo! Ten thousand years have passed. It's amazing that any of the settlement is still standing!"

"But Atlan…" started Teyla.

"Was protected by a shield for all that time. This settlement isn't."

"So what is the ZPM powering?" asked Sheppard.

"How should I know? Do I look like a fortune teller?"

"What is a fortune teller?" asked Teyla confused.

"Someone who predicts the future." replied Sheppard as he flew over the settlement to get a better look. "It looks like we won't have to walk too far after all."

He headed the jumper to a clearing a couple of hundred metres away and lowered them to the ground gently. "Okay everyone, gear up and let's move out."

TBC

They say anticipation is half the fun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming as they encourage me to write more. Sorry for the delay in posting but this chapter is a little longer as a reward for waiting.

**Jodz92**: I have no intention of withdrawing your dose of whump. In fact there is a very minor hint of whump in this chapter but don't blink or you might miss it.

**Mordule**: I agree with you about the Fortune Teller comment but hey I was mentally challenged and it is another galaxy after all. Who's to say that they have fortune tellers. Anyway I'll try to do better.

Chapter 3

Sheppard stopped in his tracks when Teyla halted raising her fist then pointed to her left. Sheppard brought his P-90 up to the ready looking for what had alerted Teyla when Rodney walked into him knocking him off his feet. Rodney managed to save himself.

"Why did you stop?" asked Rodney as he offered Sheppard a hand up immediately regretting it when he saw the dark look on Sheppard's face. "What? So it's my fault now?"

Sheppard accepted the hand. Now standing he stepped close to Rodney and whispered "Shut it McKay."

Rodney formed his lips to respond but never got the words out. He jumped when Ronon's weapon fired from behind him and hit a large animal as it leaped from the bushes towards him and Sheppard. The animal fell dead at his feet in the same spot that Sheppard had occupied moments ago. Sheppard nudged it with his foot to check that it was dead. The animal was the size of a large dog and looked similar to a bear, albeit a bear with striped fur just like that of a green tiger. Sheppard noticed that it had nasty looking claws that would've done a lot of damage if they had connected with anyone. He was glad that not all of his team members were as easily distracted as Rodney.

Ronon stepped forward and leaned into McKay. "You need to pay more attention, McKay."

"That's what you three are for. My job is to do the stuff that requires brains."

"Like checking the life signs detector for nearby threats?" asked Sheppard.

"Do you think that thing has friends out there?"

"I'd rather not find out." replied Sheppard turning back towards the settlement.

Teyla noticed his face for the first time and reached a hand up. "Colonel, you are bleeding."

Sheppard wiped his hand at the wound and glanced at the resultant smear of blood on his hand. "Nothing serious."

Teyla studied his face carefully to see if he was telling her the truth. She had learnt that he had a tendency to downplay any injuries he received but this time she saw only the truth. His injury was indeed minor.

He looked back over his shoulder to Rodney and noticed the dark look that Ronon was giving Rodney. "Anything on the LSD we should know about?"

"Oh no. Nothing in the immediate vicinity."

"Good then let's get moving this rain is getting heavier and I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

"Now you care about my health." responded Rodney.

Sheppard stepped into the lead with Teyla following. Rodney kept his eyes glued to the LSD not wanting to repeat his mistake. Sheppard was grateful for the peace and quiet while it lasted. Instead he listened to the sounds of birds around them and breathed in the lightly scented air. He took it all in. _This would make a good alpha site if it wasn't for the aggressive wildlife._

Shortly later the trees thinned out to an open grassed area. Fifty metres from the tree line stood a single story structure marking the edge of the Ancient settlement. The buildings extended into the distance where the tall spire they had seen from the air rose above the other buildings. The buildings were in various stages of repair. Some were still fully intact whilst others were little more than piles of rubble slowly being overgrown by vines. The building design was similar to that of Atlantis but had a slightly retro look as if it was an earlier more earthy style.

Sheppard paused just within the tree line and waited for the others to catch up to him before turning to Rodney. "Anything on the LSD?"

"No it's still clear. Of course we all know that hibernating Wraith don't show up until it's too late."

"I sense no Wraith here." added Teyla as she looked out over the clearing to the structures..

"So where's this energy signal coming from?" asked Sheppard from beside Teyla.

Rodney adjusted the LSD and studied the screen for a few moments. The display showed a network of streets beyond the first row of buildings.

"The signal is coming from that direction" replied Rodney pointing towards the single story building directly in front of them. "But it's a few streets away. This place is amazing. There are at least 60 buildings here. It could take us days to check out the whole place."

"Let's just check out the energy signal for now. We can come back with more people later to check out the remaining buildings to see if they left anything of interest here, like weapons." Sheppard turned back towards the building and stepped out into the open area. He walked over to one end of the building near the ruin of it's neighbour and looked around the corner. Past the rubble he could make out a rough walkway partially overcome by creepers. He moved around the corner and made his way over the rubble. Teyla followed in her surefooted way making it look easy to find a path through the ruins. Rodney stumbled a couple of times and would have fallen if it wasn't for Ronon and his quick reflexes. They came through to a T-junction, their way forward blocked by a solid wall.

"Left" indicated Rodney taking the lead now that their target was almost in sight.

Rodney lead them through the streets past several intact buildings. Ronon glanced into one of the buildings where the glass had shattered long ago and noticed what appeared to be living quarters. The remnants of what he assumed had been furniture were still visible. But anything not made of metal or stone no longer existed either eaten away by insects or destroyed by the passage of so many years.

A few minutes later Rodney stopped and looked at the building in front of him.

"Is this it?" asked Sheppard.

"It doesn't look very impressive." added Ronon.

Rodney turned towards Ronon to make a snappy reply when Sheppard added "It doesn't look too safe either. There's a huge crack on the wall by the corner."

Rodney turned back and looked at the spot that Sheppard was talking about and stated. "It'll be fine. It's stood for 10,000 years I'm sure it'll last for another couple of hours."

Sheppard stared at Rodney in disbelief. "Since when did you become an engineering expert? Some of the buildings we came past didn't last 10,000 years."

"So do you want to be the one to tell Weir that we didn't return with a ZPM because of a tiny crack in the building? We really need that ZPM. We're toast if the Wraith turn up and we can't defend ourselves."

Sheppard walked around the rest of the building to check it more thoroughly before coming back to join the others. "Okay. We go in but Ronan I want you and Teyla to stay out here. We'll do a quick check and see what we have. We'll check in by radio every 15 minutes."

Ronon nodded his acceptance and watched as Sheppard turned on the light on his P-90 and stepped up to the door. The door didn't open with a thought so he swiped his hand over the sensor. Nothing happened.

"Are you sure it has power?" asked Sheppard.

"Yes. I'm sure. Let me take a look."

Rodney removed the cover. "That's interesting. It has more crystals than the doors on Atlantis. This might take a little longer than usual." Rodney studied the crystals then started swapping the crystals around..

"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Sheppard.

"I know what I'm doing."

"I've heard that before and it's been proven wrong on occasion." reminded Sheppard.

"You just won't let that go will you?"

"Nope." replied Sheppard glancing over at Ronon to see the smirk on his face reflecting his own.

The door finally slid open to reveal the dark interior. Sheppard stepped through first followed by Rodney.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**: Thanks again for the reviews. This chapter takes a slight diversion but don't worry the boys will be back soon and into the trouble we all like to see them in.

**deblease**: Now, now I'm not going to give away the plot that would spoil the fun. Let's just say that anything is possible and leave it at that. Hope you enjoy the ride.

**Jodz92 & XX-Samantha-XX**: I'm glad that you are enjoying it and I like the equation.

Now on with the story. . . .

Chapter 4

Weir was sat in her office reading through the many reports she received from each of the section heads. She sometimes wondered if anybody would notice if she skipped a few but her conscience wouldn't let her. She absently rubbed at her temples as a headache started to annoy her. Looking at the time she realised that it was still hours before the Colonel and his team were due to check in. She sat back with a sigh as she realised that she couldn't concentrate on the words on the screen before her. She closed her eyes for a moment but her peace was soon interrupted when the gate alarm sounded.

"Unscheduled gate activation." announced Chuck from his position at the gate controls as Weir stepped out of her office walking over to stand next to him.

"Any IDC?" she asked.

"Not yet."

Bare moments passed before Chuck announced "It's Major Lorne's IDC."

Weir tapped her radio. "You're early Major. Is everything okay?"

"No ma'am. We're coming in hot and we could use a med team."

"Lower the shield. Come on through Major." Weir took a step towards the gate as she heard Chuck call for the med team.

Moments after the shield has been lowered a Wraith stunner blast shot out from the event horizon and struck the steps followed by one of Lorne's team half carrying a young man she'd never seen before. They were followed by more of Lorne's team and a number of adults and children in similar clothes to the first man.

Another Wraith blast came through the gate and hit one of the refugees. The others ducked expecting more blasts. Lorne came through the gate quickly with the last man from his team carrying a young girl and accompanied by the last of the refugees.

"Shut it down!" called Lorne.

Weir moved down the steps as the event horizon winked out of existence. "What happened, Major?"

Beckett arrived with his medical staff and proceeded to check the injured man as Weir looked around her at the shocked faces. She turned back to Lorne and noticed that the girl in his arms looked no more than about six years old and she was clearly scared.

Weir smiled at her and said "You are safe here."

A nurse stepped over to them and offered to take the girl from Lorne's arms to be checked. Weir turned her attention back to Lorne noticing him wince as he handed the girl over to the nurse. "What happened?"

"The Wraith. A Wraith hive ship. It started to cull the planet. There were darts everywhere. We gathered as many people as we could rescue and headed towards the gate. They tried to stop us."

"Okay. I'll debrief everyone later today. Get yourself checked out."

Lorne nodded and headed off toward the infirmary.

Weir turned to see Beckett and his team load the remaining people onto the gurneys and lead them through to the infirmary. She went back to her reports in her office but had even more difficulty concentrating on their contents than she had before. She was about to give up on the reports and go to the mess for some lunch when the stargate started up again. She moved out into the control room and looked towards Chuck expectantly.

"It's Major Williams IDC, ma'am."

"Lower the shield."

Minutes later Williams and his team stepped into the gate room. She met them at the bottom of the steps. "I didn't expect your team back for a few more hours. What happened?"

"The village was destroyed. We searched for survivors but all we found were bodies. It looks like the Wraith paid a visit recently. Some of the buildings were still smouldering."

Weir rubbed her temple as her headache increased in intensity. "Thank you Major."

She went out onto the balcony by the control room to get some fresh air. Beckett found her their twenty minutes later, lost in thought and her fingers still massaging her temples.

"Major Williams told me what happened. The Colonel and his team will be okay."

"I hope so, Carson. It seems that everywhere we go the Wraith have either already been there or they arrive shortly later." She dropped her hand from her face and turned to look at him. "How are our new guests doing?"

Beckett studied her as he replied "The young lad has a broken arm and a badly sprained ankle. Other than stunner blasts the rest of them are fine. Major Lorne will be spending a few days with me. He has some broken ribs and a mild concussion. As for his team there's nothing that a wee rest won't fix. Williams and his team are also fine. How about you? You look like you could do with a wee painkiller and some sleep."

Weir gave him a small smile "I'll take the painkiller but I doubt I'll sleep until the others are back. Besides I should visit Lorne and our new guests."

"Williams' team are taking care our guests. Lorne and the others are resting. You can visit them later. You need to take care of y'self for a change."

Beckett continued to watch her until she finally conceded. "Okay, okay I'll try and sleep."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my newly acquired beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this and the following chapter. Any mistakes here are purely my own. Sorry to everyone for the delay in posting but there are two longer chapters ready as recompense. To everyone who has reviewed, thank you, it is nice to see such kind comments after a hard day. Keep them coming.

**Jodz92 & XX-Samantha-XX:** Trouble is on the way. Hope you enjoy. And there is nothing wrong with hurting him a little as it allows us the opportunity to kiss him better.

**deblease:** You are so right. Some chapters aren't as exciting but are still required. Hopefully you find this one more interesting.

**Wllllanty2396**: Sorry for the wait

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 5**

Sheppard paused just inside the entrance. The light from outside drifted through the doorway but left much of the room in darkness. No lights automatically powered up at the presence of his ATA gene. He swung the light from the P-90 into the darkness.

"Are you going to let me in this side of Christmas?" asked Rodney impatiently.

"Patience, Rodney." Sheppard completed his sweep of the room and stepped to one side. Rodney moved forward hurriedly only stopping when Sheppard continued. "The creature in the corner looks friendly, I think."

"What? What creature?" Rodney's look of panic disappeared and was replaced by one of disdain. "Oh, ha, ha, very funny, scare the scientist. Now stay out of my way and don't touch anything while I check this out."

Sheppard smiled to himself at Rodney's reaction. He was surprised that he still took the bait nearly every time. For someone who claimed to be the smartest person in two galaxies he could be quite gullible even if it was only for a moment.

"The signal is coming from the next room." Rodney took a step forward and cried out as his knee came into contact with something solid. "Crap, Sheppard. Give me some light over here before I kill myself."

Sheppard complied asking "You okay?"

"No I'm not." Rodney rubbed his hand over the injury.

"Do you want to go back to Atlantis?"

Rodney stopped what he was doing and looked over at Sheppard and answered "And miss out on finding a ZPM? No I'll manage."

"Thought you might."

Rodney glared at Sheppard before choosing to ignore his comment. Sheppard shone his light around the room looking for the other door. The low stone table that Rodney had found with his knee stood out in the light. Its surface covered in a layer of dust. He stopped the light on a small pile of debris before swinging it above their heads. He noticed that part of the ceiling had broken away and was hanging down. He swung the light back down finding the inner doorway off to their left. He stepped over towards the door carefully avoiding the dangling sections of ceiling with Rodney following a couple of steps behind him.

There was more debris scattered over the floor in the adjoining room in haphazard piles. There were a number of consoles around the walls covered in a layer of dust like the first room. In the centre stood a raised section of floor.

"Huh, I wonder what that's for?" remarked Rodney from his position behind Sheppard.

"We're here to find a ZPM, remember? You can check the rest out another time." replied Sheppard as he moved towards the platform to look at it more closely.

"Yes. Right. ZPM."

"Whoa." cried Rodney as he grabbed a hold of Sheppard's tac vest and pulled him back. "Where do you think you're going with that overactive gene of yours? Just . .just stay away from everything and, whatever you do, don't touch anything unless I tell you to."

"I wasn't going to touch anything."

"No you were just going to stand on that platform, probably turning whatever this thing is on and getting yourself killed in the process."

"Mckay.."

"Now let me work." Rodney turned away and lowered his pack to the ground and started to examine the first console. "Shine that light over here."

Sheppard sighed and then did as he was asked.

Rodney wiped some of the dust from the console succeeding in sending a cloud of fine particles into the air making him sneeze. He moved from one unit to another until he had examined each one. He then grabbed his bag and laptop and moved back to the console that stood opposite the door that they had entered the room through. He crouched down and looked underneath until he found an access panel. It opened easily at a touch and revealed a series of crystals in a rainbow of colours. Rodney connected his laptop to the device and studied the screen as he adjusted the connections.

Sheppard glanced at his watch before tapping his radio. "Teyla? Ronon? How's it going out there?"

"It is quiet." replied Teyla glancing over at Ronon watching him pace restlessly outside the building.

"Nothin's hap'ning." added Ronon "How much longer is Mckay gonna be?"

Sheppard smiled to himself. "I've no idea. We've found some sort of device and a platform. Rodney's still trying to get the lights switched . . scratch that he's just turned the lights on." The light revealed the extent of the cracks in the wall to the right of the main console. In places they were large enough to get a hand through to the next room. "Are you sure this place is safe, Rodney?"

"Yes, yes would I still be here if it wasn't." replied Rodney absently as he continued to check the schematics on his laptop.

"_Colonel, perhaps we should return to Atlantis and come back later with equipment to secure the building."_

"No, Colonel. Just give me fifteen minutes more. That's all I need to trace the schematics back to the power source. I promise."

Sheppard thought back to an earlier time when Rodney had been so sure that he was right that he failed to see the truth before him. It had been a near fatal mistake and one that had damaged the trust that they shared. Rodney had worked hard after that to earn his trust back. Sheppard again looked at the cracks in the wall. They'd heard no ominous sounds since entering. Despite its looks it seemed stable enough to last another few months let alone another fifteen minutes. Sheppard made his decision.

"Okay, Rodney you have fifteen minutes."

Rodney nodded his acknowledgement and returned to the console opening another panel.

Sheppard filled the time looking over the consoles himself, recognising some of the writing as Ancient but not their meaning. He soon grew bored and started to pace the room.

"Will you stop that?"

"I'm bored."

"What are you, a five year old? Go and annoy someone else."

"I would but someone needs to watch your back."

"Who's going to attack me, there's no-one here?"

"Sometimes, Rodney, you need protecting from yourself."

Rodney stared at Sheppard. _He's serious._ "Fine."

At the end of the fifteen minutes, Rodney was still buried in the circuitry of the machine.

"Times up." stated Sheppard from behind Rodney.

Startled, Rodney jerked up and hit his head on the underside of the console. He cried out and put his hand to his head. "Did you have to scare me half to death?"

Sheppard gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry. How'd the ZPM hunting going?"

"Almost there. This circuitry is incredibly complex, even by Ancient standards." Rodney stood for a moment to stretch the kinks out of his back. "I think I know what this place is. It'll only take me a moment to confirm it."

"Rodney, we're here for a ZPM. Unless this thing is some kind of weapon that we can use to wipe out the Wraith then I think the ZPM is more important."

"No you don't understand. I think that this is another Ancient database. A huge one." replied Rodney expecting Sheppard to share his excitement.

"We already have one of those."

"Yes but what's to say that this one contains the same information as ours."

"What's to say it doesn't, we only know a fraction of what's in the Ancient database on Atlantis. Look someone can come back and examine it later."

"We need to examine it now. What if this database tells us that this settlement is the manufacturing site for drones or some other weapon that we can use to destroy the Wraith? Isn't that what you want? Give me a few more minutes to check if I'm right. What harm can it do? If I'm wrong we'll still be back on Atlantis for dinner."

Sheppard studied Rodney's face and saw the earnest look he wore. Rodney had been wrong before but what he said was right. What harm could it do and they did need all the help they could get. Surely it was worth a few extra minutes of boredom. "Okay. Check it out but we're still taking that ZPM home."

Sheppard contacted Teyla on the radio again and updated her. "Anything happening out there?"

"It's still raining." replied Ronon.

"It is quiet, Colonel." added Teyla giving Ronon a small smile.

Sheppard could hear the boredom in Ronon's voice and sympathised with him. At least Teyla was prettier to look at than Rodney. "Okay report again in fifteen. Sheppard out."

Sheppard watched Rodney as he scanned the console until he found what he was looking for; a palm sized flat section of panel. Rodney placed his palm on the surface and felt the gelatinous texture that was similar to the controls on the weapons chair back in Atlantis. Rodney moved his fingers around in the surface but nothing happened. He bent down to look under the console checking the crystals.

"Is there a problem?" asked Sheppard.

Rodney straightened and replied "Put your hand here."

Sheppard approached the console and put his hand on the panel indicated by Rodney and waited but nothing happened.

"Damn. Are you thinking 'On'?"

Sheppard replied with a glare.

"Of course you are." stated Rodney as he went over to his laptop and studied the results. "I don't understand. It has power. None of the circuits are broken."

"Maybe it's password protected."

Rodney stopped and looked across at Sheppard. "You may be right. It may be coded to respond to a particular DNA or coded thought. I might be able to bypass the panel and get direct access to the memory core. Now I just need to find the right circuits."

Rodney's fingers were dancing across the laptop as he followed the diagrams on the screen. He paused when he realised that Sheppard hadn't moved away from the console. "You can remove your hand now Colonel."

Sheppard had a surprised look on his face as he pulled his hand away from the panel quickly. He looked down at his palm expecting to see some kind of mark on his hand to confirm what he had felt. He looked across to Rodney to see his concerned expression.

"What is it? What happened?"

"That was creepy. It felt like someone touched my hand."

"What were you thinking?"

"Nothing in particular." replied John not wanting to admit that his thoughts had drifted from the job at hand.

Rodney reached across and grabbed Sheppard's hand placing it back on the panel. "Think whatever you were thinking before."

Sheppard did and felt the response immediately. He closed his eyes and an image formed in his mind. He was surprised that it looked like Elizabeth. She started to speak and she even sounded like Elizabeth. The machine was obviously drawing images from his mind.

_Welcome to Talanus. I am Arnyetta. You may interact privately through any of the terminals in this room or via the podium. Which do you choose?_

"Well? Do you see anything?"

"This is cool. It's an interface to the computer. It's giving me instructions on its use. This is a private interface. The raised platform is a pubic interface."

Rodney had the look of a kid in a candy store. "Well what are you waiting for? Switch it to the podium."

Sheppard instructed the interface to switch to the podium. Light shimmered over the podium for a moment before resolving into a complete holographic image. Rodney's jaw dropped as he realised who it was.

"Why does it look like Elizabeth?" asked Rodney glancing at Sheppard when there was no response. Sheppard was looking at his feet and Rodney could've sworn that his cheeks looked at little flushed.

Sheppard looked up and shrugged his shoulders. "I was thinking about my meeting with her yesterday. Does it matter? Ask your questions then we can extract the ZPM and get back to Atlantis."

**TBC**

**Author's Note:** For those who like whump it is coming. Who shall be on the receiving end, I wonder?


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my newly acquired beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this and the following chapter. Any mistakes here are purely my own. Sorry to everyone for the delay in posting but this is the second of two longer chapters ready as recompense. To everyone who has reviewed, thank you, it is nice to see such kind comments after a hard day. Keep them coming.

**XX-Samantha-XX:** Here is what you wanted. Don't worry there is more to come. I may even share it around a little to be fair.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 6**

Sheppard put his hand to his ear stepping away from the podium as he responded "Go ahead Teyla."

"_The weather is getting worse, Colonel. The wind is getting stronger. If it gets much worse it may cause some of these buildings to fall."_

"Take shelter. Rodney won't be much longer." replied Sheppard watching Rodney ask a question of the hologram. "Sheppard out. We need to hurry Rodney. Get the ZPM. We need to leave."

"We can't leave now. This database is amazing. There are entries on weapons research and lists of sites where research was done to fight the wraith. We have to take this information back with us."

"How? This thing is huge."

"We ask her." answered Rodney pointing at the hologram. He didn't wait for an answer from Sheppard. "How can we transport the database to Atlantis?"

Weir's image replied "All data is held on crystals in removable units behind that panel." The hologram pointed to a section of the wall next to the main console. "You will need to eject them then power down the system before removing them."

"What will happen to you?" asked Rodney

"It's a hologram, Rodney. We have the real one at home."

"I know but this is cool in a freaky way."

"My software is stored within the control crystal in the main console. It will run on Atlantis but will not have the tactile interface."

"I can live with that." Rodney stepped over to the main console and started the process of ejecting the data crystals.

Outside the wind had increased in intensity and the crack of thunder could be heard in the distance. Teyla and Ronon watched the weather approaching through the window opening of the building across from the one Sheppard and Rodney occupied.

"If we do not leave soon we will be forced to wait out the storm here."

"I've been in worse places. At least there is shelter. We should be safe enough here."

Inside Rodney had the system powered down and was placing the control crystal in his backpack along with his computer. He went over to the panel on the left of the main console and pushed the button to eject the power source. The ZPM slowly rose revealing the orange glow was dull and darker than normal.

"Should it be that colour?" asked Sheppard.

"Not when fully powered. I'll need to check how full it is when we get back to Atlantis. Hopefully there is enough charge left to be useful." Rodney carefully added the ZPM to his backpack. He moved over to where Sheppard was stood next to the panel that housed the data crystals. "Give me a hand with these."

Together they pulled on the drawers holding the crystals. The units slid out and lids automatically sprang into place to protect the contents. Sheppard noted that the other end of the drawer like container also held a handle. He tested the weight and found that it was heavy enough to require two people to carry it to the jumper.

"We'll have to leave the others here and come back for them later."

"We can't." whined Rodney.

"We don't have a choice. We'll slide the other one back. It'll be safe enough till we come back with the proper equipment."

Rodney reluctantly agreed and slid the other drawer back into place before putting his back pack on. "Aren't you going to call Ronon in to help you carry that thing?"

"What about you?"

"I have my backpack. With the ZPM" replied Rodney smugly.

Sheppard stared at Rodney before tapping his radio "Ronon we could use a hand. Rodney go wait by the door."

Moments later Ronon joined Sheppard and helped him carry the container to the entrance of the building. They nearly dropped the container when a huge bang reverberated and the walls shook causing part of the ceiling to collapse in the room they were standing in.

"What was that?" asked Rodney.

"_Colonel, you must leave now. The storm is worsening. Lightning struck the building next to the one that you are in."_

"Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place." recited Rodney.

"Says who?" asked Ronon.

"We can finish this conversation later." reminded Sheppard. "Have you got all your stuff?"

Rodney suddenly remembered the other object he wanted to study. "No. There is one more item."

He went back over to the main console and picked up the palm sensor. As he did so there was another boom and the building shook violently. This time it didn't stop and dust fell from the ceiling. He heard a cracking sound as Sheppard came into the room shouting above the noise.

"We have to leave now Rodney!"

He grabbed Rodney by the arm and shoved him towards the doorway as the world turned upside down. Rodney found himself falling and lay dazed on the ground half inside the doorway and half outside. He could hear the sound of tumbling stone and of metal being hit by something heavy. When it stopped the world seemed quieter apart from the sound of wind and heavy rain. He could feel moisture on the back of his neck and realised that it was from the rain.

"Rodney? Can you hear me?" asked Ronon bending over the prone man. "Can you stand?"

"I think so."

"Stand slowly" Teyla took his hand and helped him to his feet.

Rodney turned and looked behind him and saw the devastation that he had escaped. "Where's Sheppard? Oh no! He was behind me."

"He's not responding." stated Ronon "Stay here. I'll find him."

Teyla took Rodney over to sit by the entrance acknowledging Ronon with a nod. She started checking Rodney over for injuries.

Ronon stepped into what was left of the room. The ceiling had collapsed bringing down part of the roof which currently lay at an angle on one side of the room with one edge resting on the top of the wall.

"Sheppard?" called Ronon. He had to repeat himself before he heard a low groan coming from behind the fallen roof.

"Stay still Sheppard. I'm coming to get you."

Ronon carefully slipped into the gap between the debris and the wall noticing for the first time that he could see daylight through the large crack in the wall that was precariously supporting the weight of the ceiling. He realised that it wouldn't take much to bring the wall down and the whole ceiling onto their heads. He found Sheppard sprawled on the ground covered in white dust. There was blood running freely from a gash on his forehead and he looked dazed possibly concussed. He moved over to Sheppard's side and asked "Can you stand?"

Sheppard nodded and instantly regretted it as the hammering in his head increased. He swallowed against the nausea that was threatening.

"I'm fine just give me a hand up."

"Whatever." replied Ronon offering his hand to Sheppard and helping him to his feet. He let go of Sheppard's hand but grabbed his arm a moment later when Sheppard listed to one side.

Sheppard pushed away from him moving on unsteady feet towards the way out repeating "I'm fine."

"If you say so." replied Ronon staying close in case he needed to catch his commanding officer and friend.

Sheppard footsteps became more sure as he approached the entrance where Rodney and Teyla were. Teyla glanced up and then stood quickly. "Colonel, you are hurt. Sit. It will only take me a moment to treat your wound. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"He won't tell you." stated Rodney as Sheppard sat down gingerly.

"Just bruises I think."

Teyla quickly cleaned and covered the gash before noticing the blood on his arm. She inspected the sleeve of his jacket and saw the tear in the material. Beneath the tear was a still bleeding gash in his arm.

"This looks deep. Beckett will need to stitch this." She bandaged his arm and handed him some antibiotics. "Are you up to walking to the jumper?"

"I'm fine. Now let's get a move on before things get worse." Sheppard forced himself to his feet and managed to avoid collapsing again when vertigo struck.

Rodney stood as well and lifted the backpack onto his back. "Yes let's get these crystals and the ZPM back to Atlantis."

"The Colonel cannot carry that container in his state." stated Teyla.

"I'll be fine. It's not that far."

Sheppard picked up the front of the container leaving Ronon to pick up the rear and they headed out into the heavy rain.

**TBC**

**Author's Note**: There may be a delay in posting the next chapter as real life gets in the way. Please be patient and I'll try and make it worth your while. There will be more whump, hopefully a few surprises and certainly quite a few chapters to go.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this and the following chapter. Any mistakes here are purely my own. Sorry to everyone for the delay in posting but real life got in the way. To everyone who has reviewed, thank you, it is nice to see such kind comments after a hard day. Keep them coming.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 7**

Teyla led the way back to the jumper knowing that Ronon, at the rear, would keep an eye on Sheppard's condition. She had seen the slightly unfocused eyes and was concerned that he may have a concussion. She knew he'd never admit how bad he felt preferring to play down his injuries. She also realised he'd hadn't asked after Rodney's condition, something he always did.

She glanced back to see that Sheppard was still following doggedly, watching each step carefully. She looked towards Ronon and he met her eyes and gave a short shake of his head answering her unspoken question as to whether Sheppard was okay. Short of leaving the case of data crystals behind there wasn't much that could be done until they were back at Atlantis. She turned her attention forwards again and hoped that Sheppard would be okay.

Sheppard kept his eyes on the path putting one foot in front of the next, missing the silent communication between Ronon and Teyla. He kept hoping that the pounding in his head would decrease. Instead it seemed to increase every time his foot hit the ground until he literally thought his head would explode. It didn't but his vision blurred at the edges and that increased his nausea. Shortly later he misjudged the distance between his foot and the ground and stumbled but didn't fall. He shook his head to clear his vision.

_Damn_. Sheppard's vision remained blurred and nausea worsened, threatening to overwhelm him.

Rodney followed Teyla and kept his eyes on the Life Signs Detector, one alien creature attack per off-world mission was one too many as far as he was concerned. There was no way that another one was going to sneak up on them on the way back to the jumper. Despite his concern about alien creatures hell bent on finding dinner, Rodney continued to do what he always did in situations that made him nervous or frightened. He talked.

"I think we've hit the jackpot with this site and who knows what else may be here that's worth coming back for." Rodney slowed his pace slightly to fall in beside Sheppard.

"We'll come back, Rodney." replied Sheppard taking his eyes off the ground in front of him briefly to glance across at his friend. He nearly missed his footing on his next step and quickly returned his eyes to his path.

"Maybe I should help carry the crystals." offered Rodney worried that Sheppard was worse than he was letting on.

"I'm fine." insisted Sheppard "Just... take care...of the ZPM."

"What? Of course I will, after finally finding a ZPM that we can take without anyone trying to steal it away from us."

"Don't you ever stop talking, McKay?" asked Ronon.

"What?" responded McKay glancing back "This is a significant moment. We may finally be able to defeat the Wraith with what we have."

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?"

"I said _may. _We_ may _be able to defeat the Wraith_._"

"That would be good." added Teyla "But first we must get back to Atlantis."

Rodney glanced worriedly across at Sheppard, noticing that his face looked paler than it had moments before. Sheppard stumbled again and nearly dropped the container. _Crap_. Rodney quickly moved towards him. "That's it. Give me that before you break something." Rodney saw the look Ronon was giving him and added "Give me some credit I was talking about him not the crystals. Not that I want those to break either. "

Rodney took the handle of the container and had to pry Sheppard's fingers loose. Up close to Sheppard he could see the tight lines around his eyes, a sure fire indication of a headache and the skin around the gash on his forehead was already bruising. "Perhaps you should lean on Teyla's shoulder before you fall on your face."

"I'm fine." replied Sheppard.

"You don't seriously expect anyone to believe that do you? After a roof fell on you, come on, you can barely stand upright."

Teyla joined them and added "I agree with McKay. It is dangerous to remain in the open with those creatures around. We will move quicker if you let me provide assistance."

"Fine." replied Sheppard.

Teyla smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. She kept her eyes on the surrounding foliage as they started to walk in the direction of the jumper again.

Several minutes later they made it back to the clearing where the jumper was cloaked. Teyla de-cloaked it using the remote and helped Sheppard up the ramp. He moved towards the pilot's seat but was stopped by Rodney's voice.

"Whoa! Do you think I'm letting you fly us back to Atlantis when you can barely walk in a straight line? Sit down before you fall down."

Teyla held Sheppard's arm and guided him to lay down on one of the benches in the back of the jumper before starting to tend his injuries. She noticed that blood was soaking through the bandage on his forearm. She took a fresh bandage from her vest and started to wrap it around the original applying pressure.

Ronon and Rodney stowed the container in the back of the jumper. Rodney straightened with his hand on his back, "I think my back is ruined forever."

"Maybe you should keep in better shape." remarked Ronon as he made sure that the cargo was safely secured.

"Huh. I didn't see you carrying a back pack as well as that thing." retorted Rodney as he removed his pack and stowed it carefully before moving to the pilot's seat.

A few moments later the jumper took to the air. The return journey to the stargate passed quickly and soon McKay was dialling up Atlantis.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this and the following chapter. Any mistakes here are purely my own. Sorry to everyone for the delay in posting but real life got in the way. To everyone who has reviewed, thank you, it is nice to see such kind comments after a hard day. Keep them coming.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 8**

Weir was back in her office, her headache cured thanks to Carson's drugs and her thoughts of a nap long forgotten after an hour of unsuccessfully trying. Instead she decided to deal with the reports that filled her in basket no matter how boring some of them were likely to be.

She opened the next file, to see it was a maintenance report on the desalination equipment highlighting a schedule of repairs and servicing. She sighed at the thought but got no further than the first page when the gate alarm sounded for the third that day.

She looked across to the control room to see Chuck still on duty as he announced rather superfluously "Off-world gate activation." Weir left her office and joined him at the controls. She tried to keep her anxiety at bay as she thought about the only team that was still currently off-world, wondering if their return would be under similar circumstances as Lorne's or Williams' team. She hoped not as she asked "Any IDC yet?"

Chuck glanced at the monitor again replying "No…wait I'm receiving McKay's code."

"Lower the shield." instructed Weir moving to the railing as she waited for her premier team to return through the gate. She took a deep breath as she tried to control her emotions. She never tried to hide the fact that she was concerned for the safety of all the teams that went off-world but not all the teams encountered the same problems that Sheppard's team did. _Please let no-one else be injured today_.

Rodney's voice broke across her thoughts. "Atlantis, we require a medical team to meet us in the jumper bay. Possible concussion."

Weir sighed and gave Chuck a nod to make the call as she asked "Who's injured Rodney?"

"Who else? Sheppard."

"Come on through I'll meet you in the jumper bay with Carson. Weir out"

Weir arrived in the jumper bay just as the hatch on the Colonel's jumper was lowered. She could hear Carson approaching with his team not far behind her. She entered the jumper to find Teyla by Sheppard's side with a hand on his shoulder gently restraining him and saying "Wait for Beckett, Colonel."

Carson arrived in the jumper as Rodney and Ronon joined them. Weir looked from them, as they both dripped onto the jumper floor, back to Sheppard, taking in his current state. She'd seen him look worse but she suspected that Carson would keep him captive for a few days based on the size of the bruise that was darkening the skin around the bandage. She moved to allow Carson access to Sheppard and asked "What happened?" but Rodney didn't hear her as he watched Carson shining a pen light into Sheppard's eyes and caught the pained response the action received. Rodney dragged his attention away from Sheppard and back to Weir to find her watching him.

"What happened to Sheppard, Rodney?" repeated Weir.

"A roof fell on him. McKay was knocked out of the way. Sheppard wasn't so lucky." supplied Ronon.

"Sheppard pushed me out of the way." corrected Rodney suddenly feeling guilty. _Sheppard had questioned the safety of the building but oh no he had to insist that it was perfectly safe._ _What if Sheppard had brain damage? He'd been hit on the head before. Didn't repeated head injuries cause brain damage?_

"I'll be fine, Rodney." stated Sheppard as he watched the worry and guilt play across McKay's face._ He really is an open book._

"Really and when did you become a medical expert?" retorted Rodney turning back towards Sheppard.

"About the same time you became a structural engineer."

"How was I to know that the storm would get worse and that lightning would hit the building next door?"

"Exactly. It wasn't your fault, Rodney" stated Sheppard.

Carson finished his checks and stood. "Okay, Colonel. It's safe to move you to the infirmary. Think you can make it to the gurney?"

"I can walk." replied Sheppard as he moved to push himself to his feet.

"No you can't." responded Ronon as he reached down to give Sheppard a hand.

"Just get on the gurney, Colonel." added Rodney.

Sheppard looked at his worried team. They were all watching him. He let out a sigh and let Ronon guide him to the gurney.

"Look after him, Carson." stated Weir. She gave Sheppard's hand a gentle squeeze as she stepped to his side for a moment.

Carson nodded and said "Aye. I will. As for the rest of you, get into some dry clothes before reporting for your post mission checks. I don't need any of you lot getting sick."

"We'll visit." added Ronon before he turned and left followed by the rest of Sheppard's team.

Weir smiled at Sheppard. "So will I, in the meantime, behave yourself."

"Don't I always?"

Weir smiled at his reply despite her concern. She knew he acted like that to alleviate everyone's concern but she knew he was hurting, could see it in the tightness around his eyes, half closed trying to lessen the effects of the jumper bay lights on his headache.

"That will be the day." stated Carson as he started to wheel Sheppard towards the infirmary. "I'll keep you posted on his condition, Elizabeth."

Weir entered the infirmary and found Carson in his office writing up his notes. He glanced up at her upon hearing her footsteps and gestured for her to sit in the guest chair. He gave her a reassuring smile. "The Colonel has a concussion, a ton of bruises and a nasty cut on his arm that required several stitches. He'll no doubt be feeling rather sore and sorry for himself over the next few days but he'll be fine."

"Thank you, Carson." replied Weir with a sigh.

"No need to thank me. You look tired, lass. You should get some rest."

"I will but I'd like to visit John first if that's okay."

Carson smiled "That's fine. He's in the corner."

"And his team?"

"Rodney has a couple of bruises, nothing major. Teyla and Ronon are both perfectly fine. They visited the Colonel for a few minutes before I chased them out of here to get some food and rest."

Sheppard heard her footsteps approaching. Quiet. Not military. He kept his eyes closed listening to the soft rustling of her clothes as she sat in the chair by his bed. He caught a gentle whiff of her perfume. The one small indulgence she allowed herself from Earth. He knew it was her. The woman that had faith in him when he had been rejected by his own military leaders. The woman he didn't want to disappoint. He knew she worried about the off world teams but he also knew that she didn't sit by their sides as she did his.

Weir studied his bruised face as she wondered how many more times would she have to sit by his side in the infirmary waiting for him to wake up.

"I'm not asleep, Elizabeth."

"How…."

"Military secret." replied Sheppard opening his eyes to see the look of surprise still on her face. "I don't think I've seen you speechless before."

Weir regained her composure "Carson says you'll be fine in a few days." She stood and moved closer to his bed taking his hand into hers.

"I know. Is Rodney okay?"

Weir nodded. "He's fine even if he doesn't believe it."

"Good." Sheppard studied her face. Over the time spent on Atlantis and the dire situations they'd faced together, he'd learnt how to read the tiny signs that gave away her feelings, feelings that she tried to hide beneath her diplomat's mantle. "Hard day at the office?"

"You could say that. Lorne's team came under Wraith attack. He's here as well with a concussion and broken ribs. He also brought some refugees back with him. Then Williams returned from a planet that had been culled recently."

Sheppard gave her hand a squeeze. "Sorry for adding to your bad day."

Weir smiled "I'm glad you're back in more or less one piece. Get some rest."

She watched for a few moments as he lost the battle with his eyelids and drifted into sleep before reaching up and caressing his stubbled cheek with her hand.

Carson approached as she moved her hand away. "You should follow his example and get some rest."

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Again many thanks to my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and honesty. Any mistakes here are purely my own. Thanks for all those who liked the story enough to submit a review. Keep them coming as I love to hear what you have to say and they certainly inspire me to write more chapters. For those who love whump there will be more to come and our favourites will be in the thick of things as usual. So please keep reading.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 9**

Weir returned to the infirmary to find Sheppard asleep with Rodney sat in the visitor's chair beside his bed tapping away on his laptop.

"Morning Rodney. I hope that you haven't been here all night."

Before he could reply Carson joined them and added "He's been here for the last two hours."

"Shouldn't he have awakened by now? I mean even with the 2 hourly checks he should've had more than enough sleep." asked Rodney.

"He'll waken when he's ready, Rodney."

"He's awake now." stated Weir noticing Sheppard's eyes open and squint at the brightness level in the room. She moved to his side and placed a hand on his arm. "How are you feeling, John?"

"And don't say fine." added Rodney.

Sheppard rolled his eyes at Rodney and regretted it when it made him dizzy. He closed his eyes for a moment hoping that not seeing the room spinning would help convince his brain that everything was normal. But it didn't. _Concussions suck._

"John? John? Are you okay?" asked Weir the worry evident in her voice as her hand tightened on his arm.

"Yeah. I'm good." replied Sheppard hoping to prove his point by opening his eyes and giving Weir a smile.

"Only if green is your normal colour." responded Rodney watching Sheppard carefully.

Sheppard ignored Rodney as he saw the intense gaze Elizabeth was giving him and he knew that she could see through his statement of well-being. He placed his hand over hers and said "I _will_ be fine. In fact I'll be out of here soon, right Doc?"

"Not today I'm afraid, lad. Maybe tomorrow if you keep improving. Do you think you can manage some food this morning?"

"I'm not hungry."

"More like Colonel Stoic here feels sick and won't admit it." remarked Rodney.

"I can give you something for the nausea, Colonel, and for the headache that you won't admit to having."

Weir watched Carson leave for the drugs and turned her attention back to Rodney. "We should leave and let the Colonel rest. You and the others can debrief me on the details of yesterday's mission shortly." She then turned to Sheppard and added "And you, John, can fill me in on your point of view when Carson releases you."

"Why can't we hold the debriefing here?" asked Sheppard.

"You need to rest." insisted Weir.

"I'll rest after the debriefing. I'll be fine. It shouldn't take too long. It wasn't like it was a long mission."

Carson returned with the drugs and inserted the needle into the IV port. "This will only take a few minutes to take effect then maybe you'll feel like some food."

"See. Just a few minutes and I'll feel fine." stated Sheppard giving Weir a smile.

Weir felt herself smile despite her better judgement. "Okay John, but only if Carson thinks it's okay."

"Only if Carson thinks what is okay?" asked Carson realizing that he'd missed out on part of the conversation.

"Sheppard wants to hold the mission debrief here. In the infirmary so that he can be involved." replied Rodney.

"It won't be long, Doc and I promise I'll rest when it's finished. I'll do whatever you want."

"That'll be the day." replied Carson.

Weir couldn't help but smile at Carson's response. It was true that Sheppard wasn't known for following doctor's orders very well. He didn't always follow hers but he usually had his well-intentioned reasons even if she didn't agree with them.

"I'll stop the meeting if he starts to tire." stated Weir.

"I know you will, lass. It's him I don't trust to know when to take a break. Okay have your debrief but I want you to rest afterwards, Colonel and no sneaking out of bed on your own."

Weir smiled at the look of innocence Sheppard wore. Carson walked away mumbling under his breathe about recalcitrant patients. "Are you sure that you're up to this?"

"I'll be fine, Elizabeth. Don't worry."

"I won't if you stop giving me reasons to worry."

"Touché." remarked Rodney.

"Make yourself useful Rodney and get Teyla and Ronon." ordered Sheppard.

"Right." Rodney tapped his radio and moved away from Sheppard's bed as he called his team-mates.

Sheppard sat with his bed raised behind him enabling him to comfortably view his team as they sat around his bed in the infirmary. Teyla sat to his right, exuding a calm that came from her meditations that she practiced regularly and from besting many of the military in the Athosian stick fighting every day. Sheppard knew she could handle herself well in most situations. Had seen it first hand and had received many bruises from her sticks. Her small size often worked in her favour, fooling the enemy into making the fatal mistake of underestimating the threat she posed.

Ronon sat next to her. No-one underestimated Ronon. He embodied a warrior and had the intimidating look perfected to the point where it alone was enough to subdue some threats. Those that dared to take him on soon learned that he was well skilled in the art of warfare and would show no mercy if required. Ronon also exuding a calm but this came from a confidence in his own skills. Skills that had been tested over seven years as a runner, being hunted by the Wraith for sport until he stumbled upon Sheppard and his team.

Weir sat beside him on his left next to Rodney who was currently talking animatedly about the discovery of the Ancient database. "You should've seen it. It was amazing. I'm sure I can fit the tactile interface to our equipment and get it to work with the control crystal that I took from PX3-M37 containing the avatar."

"We only need to access the data, Rodney." interrupted Sheppard.

"That should be a relatively simple task to do assuming that they are compatible."

"What do you mean?" asked Weir.

"The technology in the settlement looked Ancient but it looked older."

"Older than Ancient? Didn't think that was possible." asked Ronon with his usual smirk.

"Oh hah hah, very droll. Now I'm sure that the Ancient's built their systems with backwards compatibility and even if they haven't I'm sure that I can make it work."

"Of course you can, Rodney." responded Sheppard. "How long?"

"A day maybe two but I've only retrieved some of the database that was there. If what I managed to see before we started to dismantle it is anything to go by then we need to go back for the rest. This database could hold the answer to our defence."

"The rest is inside an unstable area of the building, Rodney."

"We were lucky that the both of you were not more seriously injured." added Teyla.

"I still think it's worth it. There could be vital information on the part we left behind."

"You don't know that." replied Sheppard

"Is there any way of making the building safe?" asked Weir

"A team of engineers might be able to shore up the walls and whatever remains of the roof." replied Sheppard.

"Okay. Colonel, I'll organise a team. In the meantime, Rodney, be grateful for what you have. What about the ZPM you brought back?"

"Useless. It has some charge remaining but not enough to enhance our defensive capability beyond being able to launch a few drones."

"I'll take what I can get." replied Sheppard even though he too wished that the ZPM had been fully charged.

"I agree." added Weir, she glanced over at Sheppard and noticed that he was starting to tire. "Is there anything else I should know?" when no-one had anything to add she continued "Okay, dismissed. Let me know if you find anything interesting in the database, Rodney."

Rodney nodded as he stood to leave. "Right, I'll start on it right away with Zelenka."

Teyla stood and placed a hand on Sheppard's arm. "Rest, Colonel. I will drop by again later."

Ronon added "So will I after training."

Weir waited until the others had left and turned to Sheppard. "I want you to keep your promise to Carson and rest. Then we can talk about those few days off you were going to take."

"And you. Don't worry I'm too tired to disobey Carson at the moment."

"Good. I'll drop by later to see that you do."

Sheppard watched her leave and then settled back into his pillows closing his eyes. He was fast asleep when Carson checked on him moments later and didn't even notice his bed being lowered to a horizontal position.

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter. Any mistakes here are purely my own. I know some of you are hanging out for more whump and it is coming but this idea came into my head when I first dreamt up the avatar and I just had to explore it. I hope you enjoy it. And thank you to all those taking the time to leave reviews. Now on with the story.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 10**

Rodney headed to his laboratory after leaving the debriefing in the infirmary. He found Zelenka already there working away at his laptop with wires connected to the tactile interface from the planet. Zelenka glanced up, pushing his glasses up his nose as he asked "How did the briefing go?"

"We have to wait for a team of engineers to make the site safe before we can retrieve the rest of the data crystals." replied Rodney as he poured himself a coffee.

"Is that not good?" asked Zelenka.

"Not if the data we need is on the crystals back on PX3-M37 and the Wraith attack before we can retrieve them. I mean it's not like the roof can fall down twice."

"How is the Colonel?"

"He'll be fine. Now let's get to work. We need to interface the control crystal I brought back with Atlantis so that I can access the programming. The technology should be compatible with the holographic interface in the map room."

"Could we not just access the data crystals using the control program already operating in Atlantis' database?"

Rodney looked at Zelenka and replied "Well we could if I hadn't already _tried_ that last night while you off sleeping. Atlantis didn't recognize the data structures on the crystals."

"Might the same not be true of the control program?"

Rodney was loading his equipment onto a trolley as he responded. "It might but I can make any necessary adjustments to make it work. Come on give me a hand with this, it's heavy."

Zelenka helped Rodney lift the case of data crystals onto the trolley. Rodney straightened rubbing his back. "Aagh. I think I strained a ligament or something yesterday. I think you'd better push this thing to be on the safe side."

"What about the interface? I was about to run a test on it."

Rodney looked over to where it lay by the laptop several wires attached to it. He hadn't felt the response that Sheppard had but he had seen the look on his face. He didn't need the interface to make it work but his curiosity was piqued. _How did you make a machine that touched like a human could? And with nothing more than something that looked like the silicon gel used for, well, other less than scientific purposes in the cosmetic industry._ "Bring it. It might prove useful."

Rodney was sitting on the floor in front of the podium. He had an access panel open with wires leading to the laptop perched on his lap. He was scrolling through the schematics quickly. "Okay Radek. Remove the clear crystal in the second drawer and insert the control crystal."

Radek did as instructed saying "It does not fit. The control crystal is not the same shape."

"It has to fit. Give me a look, you must've removed the wrong one."

Rodney pushed his way in as Radek protested. "It is the one you said. Maybe you are wrong about which one to remove. It would not be the first time that you are wrong."

"Is no-one going to let that go? I make one little mistake and everyone has to remind me about it."

"You destroyed most of a solar system. That was not little."

"Compared to the universe it was."

"The point is, Rodney, you are not always right. Maybe you are not right this time."

"Look if we can make things backward compatible then I'm sure that a race as smart as the Ancients could as well."

"DVD players will not play video cassettes. Maybe the podium can not use this crystal."

"I'm not ready to give up yet."

Weir entered the mess hall to grab a quick sandwich with the intention of returning to her office to finish writing up the report ready for sending back to the SGC but she changed her mind when she saw Ronon and Teyla sat at a table by the window.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all, Elizabeth." greeted Teyla with a smile.

"How are the refugees settling in with your people on the mainland?"

"They are still in shock over leaving their home-world they way that they did and losing so many of their own people. It will take time to adjust to a new world but they are making a good start. Halling has found them all accommodation and he is involving them in the hunting and farming alongside my people. I think they will be fine."

"I'm glad. I only wish we could do more."

"You are doing more for the people of this galaxy than the Ancients did." replied Teyla.

"Any word from McKay on how he's going with that thing he brought back?" asked Ronon.

"Not yet." replied Weir as she finished off her sandwich. "Well I have a report waiting for me to finish it."

She gave them both a smile as she stood to leave. Teyla stood as well "I have a training session in a few minutes. I will walk with you."

Weir reviewed the report she had written and adjusted a few words before clicking on save. Unless there were any last minute inclusions required it was now ready for sending to the SGC in the morning when they made their regular contact with Earth. She closed the lid on her laptop and decided it was time to go check on Rodney's progress before visiting John in the infirmary. No doubt he would want to know about any progress that had been made.

She made her way to his lab only to find it empty. She knew that he would not be finished for the day. She tapped her radio and spoke "Rodney, it's Elizabeth, I'm in your lab. Where are you?"

Moments later Rodney replied "I'm in the map room working with the database that we retrieved. Is something wrong?"

"No. I just wanted to see how it's going."

"Progress is…slow." responded Rodney carefully. He didn't want to admit that so far he'd been unsuccessful. He knew in his heart that it was only a matter of time and he have the two systems communicating.

"Will it work?" asked Weir not needing to see McKay's body language to know a stalling tactic when she heard one.

"Yes. I think so. "

"Just do your best, Rodney."

"I do not think it will work." stated Zelenka as he watched Rodney opening a second access panel below the console.

"Do you have a better idea, huh?" asked Rodney as he pulled the cover off and studied the circuitry before him.

"No."

"Then stand back and let me try my idea."

Zelenka threw his arms up in exasperation and stepped back from the console. He was sure that Rodney was about to make a big mistake. He watched as Rodney reached in and re-routed the power within the console. The lights in the room flickered several times before leaving them both in darkness.

"Dammit."

A small light appeared lighting up the area that Rodney was working on. He turned, lifting his arm to block the glare of the blinding light to see Zelenka holding a torch before tapping his radio. "Yes Elizabeth. Oh…aagh. Yes I'll have the lights restored in a moment….oh and the transporters." Rodney turned back to the panel and spoke to Zelenka over his shoulder. "Seems we've taken out power to the transporters and to the lights in Atlantis."

"The transporters – was anyone…"

"Yes, several apparently including Elizabeth."

"Oh my. I told you this was not good idea."

Moments later the lights came back on. "There done now I should be able to connect the control crystal." As he spoke he inserted the control crystal into a different slot and closed the crystal draw before reaching for his laptop to study the readings. "Yes. I think this will work. Now all I have to do is…."

A light formed in front of the podium, starting out small and then extending to person height. It continued to shimmer as it gradually took on the form of a person and finally resolved into the image that he seen at the Ancient outpost.

"Oh my." remarked Zelenka as he recognized the features of their base commander.

Weir was not happy as she exited from the transporter into the corridor near the map room. Even the infirmary had been plunged unexpectedly into darkness. There had already been reports of some minor injuries. "Yes, Carson. I'll be sure to tell him."

Weir turned the corner and stopped at the doorway to the map room. She heard Radek's response as she saw her own image stood in the centre of the room wearing a dress that she'd worn to a dinner in her honour with one of their new trading partners a few weeks ago. "Rodney, what is going on here? Why does that look like me and why am I dressed like that?"

Rodney spun around at the sound of Weir's voice looking very much like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Oh um hi, Elizabeth." greeted Rodney swallowing uncomfortably before deciding to lay the blame somewhere else. Feeling comfortable with his decision his posture straightened and he gave her a smile as he said. "It's a rather good likeness, don't you think?"

"Rodney, explain."

"Ancient technology has a mental component. It drew the image from his mind. He said was thinking about a meeting the two of you had when the database started up."

"Do you think I'd dress like that for a meeting?"

Rodney looked at the hologram and then back to her. "Don't blame me. It was Sheppard who was thinking it."

Weir stepped closer to the hologram. The Colonel had been at that dinner where she wore the dress. She'd seen his reaction to her clothing at the time but didn't think he'd recall it weeks later in this amount of detail. The dress had been Teyla's idea. She'd thought that the normal Atlantis clothing was not really suited to such a formal occasion. She had then proceeded to find a dress for her on one of the worlds that they regularly visited. The red dress was beautiful and fitted well enhancing her slim figure, leaving her shoulders bare. The bodice was covered in delicate embroidery that appeared to shimmer in the lights. Even the shoes worn by the hologram were the ones she had worn on the night. Their red fabric peeped out from under the hem of the long skirt. She spoke to Rodney over her shoulder. "Does it sound like me?"

"Yes." replied Rodney as he watched her reaction. As he watched he thought he saw a small smile on her face but only able to see part of her face from his angle he wasn't sure.

Weir shook her head and turned back to Rodney and Zelenka. "So I suppose this was the reason for the power outage that resulted in a number of minor injuries?"

Rodney looked guilty as he answered. "We had to re-route the power and bypass a number of circuits to enable us to connect the control crystal into a different slot. It wouldn't fit into the normal spot."

"There was no we, Rodney." added Zelenka in his own defence.

"Carson is not happy with you Rodney, nor am I. Next time give us some warning." She paused and looked back at the avatar tilting her head towards it and asking "Does this mean that you can access the data now?"

"Uh. I don't know. That was my next step. I'm hoping that she can help me with the process."

Weir nodded her understanding "Okay keep me posted, Rodney." She started to leave but changed her mind and turned back towards them "And Rodney, no-one else is to see or know of this. Find another image or at least another outfit."

Rodney and Zelenka both nodded their agreement. "Our lips are sealed. Even though you do look kinda nice in that dress."

"Rodney!"

"Okay, I won't say anything."

She turned back towards the door but made it no further when both Ronon and Teyla walked into the room. They both stopped when they saw Elizabeth. Teyla saw the look of resignation on her face and then understood when she saw the image behind her. Ronon stood next to her grinning at the sight that met his eyes.

"You didn't say that the image was this realistic McKay." remarked Ronon.

"Just great." remarked Weir wondering if her embarrassment could get much worse.

"You should not be embarrassed, Elizabeth."

"I'm not so sure that you would say that if it was your image that these men were ogling." replied Weir before she turned and left.

Teyla turned to see Ronon still staring at the hologram. She slapped him gently on the arm to get his attention. "We came to see if you would like to join us for dinner, Rodney."

"Yeah, sure. I guess this can wait for a little while and I am hungry. Come on, Radek let's go eat something." stated Rodney as he walked towards the door.

"Wait, should we not shut down the hologram?" asked Radek

"And risk not getting it back online. No way. Besides no-one else will come in here while we grab some food."

Zelenka shrugged his shoulders and followed Rodney and the others mumbling to himself "It's your funeral."

**TBC**

**Author's Note:** What will Weir say to Sheppard next time she sees him? If you want to know then you'll need to keep reading. Want to know what information the new database holds? You guessed it – you'll have to keep reading. And finally want more whump in your diet? Then definitely keep reading as I promise that it is coming and it will be worth the wait.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter. Any mistakes here are purely my own. Just a minor detour in this chapter, I promise.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Shadows-of-Realm:** We all know that Sheppard is never good for long in the infirmary. Hope you like it.

**Blue Shadowdancer:** I hope you like this chapter. There is a little more Rodney/Zelenka here for you.

**Jodz92:** Would she? Maybe not if she was hoping for more than friendship.

And thank you to everyone else who has taken the time to leave a review. Now on with the story.

**Chapter 11**

Sheppard woke and was a little disappointed to find the chair by his bed empty before remembering that Rodney would be in his lab working on the new Ancient database. He realized he'd grown used to waking in the infirmary to find Rodney by his side, keeping him company with his running commentary and his at times acerbic remarks. But there was no way he'd ever tell Rodney that.

As he lay there he could hear the noises of the infirmary as the staff went about their daily activities. No-one had noticed that he was awake and from his horizontal position he couldn't see if Carson was in his office or making rounds. He carefully pulled himself into a sitting position, closing his eyes and putting a hand to his head as everything spun for a moment. When things seemed to settle into their normal places around him he looked around to check for anyone paying attention to him. _No-one was. Good._

Sheppard pushed the covers back and lowered his legs to the floor. He was glad to find he was wearing scrubs not one of those awful gowns that stole any dignity he had when he was in here. It was bad enough being fussed over without having to endure the thought that everyone could see his naked butt whenever he got out of bed. He stood cautiously keeping one hand on the bed until he was sure that he wasn't going to fall back down again. He reached over with his free hand and grasped the IV pole pulling it closer to him. He checked again to see if anyone was paying attention to him but everyone seemed to be busy and Carson was nowhere to be seen. Sheppard took this as a good omen and made his way over to Lorne's bed.

"How are you doing, Major? asked Sheppard as he took in the bandage on his forehead.

"I'll be fine in a few days, sir."

"I hear you had a run in with some Wraith."

"Yeah, we did. I don't think they were expecting to find us there. They seemed genuinely surprised when we started fighting back. There were too many of them for us to fight them off. The best we could hope for was to give the locals some extra time to escape through the stargate with us."

"You did well, Major." stated Sheppard. He noticed Lorne's eyes swing away from him to a point behind him and sighed.

"And just what do yer think yer doing out of yer bed, Colonel?" asked Carson.

Lorne barely managed to hide the smirk from his face as he saw his CO's reaction to being caught. Sheppard ignored his 2IC and turned to face Carson.

"I'm feeling fine, Carson."

"And just when did you get your medical degree." Carson paused as he studied his patient. Sheppard decided that it was a rhetorical question and glanced back at Lorne catching the amused look on his face before he had time to hide it. Sheppard scowled at him before allowing Carson to guide him back to his bed. "I'm really sorry Carson, but I feel fine and I wanted to check on Lorne for myself."

Carson glanced at Sheppard and saw the sincerity there. "I know son, but your balance may still be affected and the last thing you need right now is to lose your balance and hit your head again."

They had reached Sheppard's bed. "I came over to check on you and to see whether you felt up to some food."

Sheppard had barely climbed into the bed before he was blinded by a penlight shining into his right eye. He tried to flinch back but Carson still had a hand on his arm. "Hold still, Colonel. This won't take long."

Carson then proceeded to blind his left eye with the penlight before withdrawing it, leaving him blinking the spots from his vision. He swiped at his eyes with his left hand while Carson captured his right hand to check his pulse. It was followed shortly later by a blood pressure cuff.

"How's your headache, Colonel?" asked Carson as he packed away the sphygmometer.

"Barely there." replied Sheppard "When can I leave?"

Carson studied Sheppard's face to check the truth of his statement. "Maybe tomorrow, if you behave. I'll organize some food for you and then I want you to get some rest."

Sheppard knew better than to argue further with Carson lest he change his mind. "Good. Food sounds good."

Carson smiled at the return of the Colonel's appetite. He went over to one of the nurses and spoke with her briefly before entering his office.

Sheppard was just finishing his soup when Rodney came in and took up residence in his usual chair. Ronon and Teyla followed him in and stood next to him.

"Hi guys." greeted Sheppard.

Teyla gave him a warm smile. "I am glad to see you looking much better, Colonel."

"When are you getting out?" asked Ronon.

"Tomorrow, maybe."

"Well you might want to make a break for it sooner and find a good hiding spot."

"Why?" asked Sheppard.

"She saw the hologram." stated Ronon.

Teyla saw the puzzled look on Sheppard's face and added "She seemed embarrassed by the choice of clothing."

"And she knows that the image came from that Kirk brain of yours."

Sheppard was lost for words. He didn't understand why Elizabeth should be embarrassed by the choice of dress. He'd thought that she had looked beautiful in the outfit that Teyla had found for her. He glanced at this team noticing Ronon's smirk and Rodney's gloat at his predicament. "I don't know why she found it embarrassing. I thought she looked nice." stated Sheppard.

"I thought she looked hot." commented Ronon.

"I think that was the problem." stated Teyla. "They could not stop looking at the hologram. They were staring."

Carson approached the bed and noticed that the soup bowl was empty. "You're appetite has definitely improved. Don't keep him awake for too long guys. He still needs his rest."

They nodded their agreement and waited until Carson was out of earshot.

"She should be angry at you two not me." stated Sheppard. "I wasn't the one staring."

"How did you remember the intricate detail of her dress?" asked Teyla.

"I have a good memory, that's all."

"So you did not stare?" asked Teyla as she watched Sheppard's reaction.

"Well, maybe a little."

"Hah, Kirk!" responded Rodney as he bounced back in his seat. Teyla smiled to herself.

Ronon glanced towards the infirmary entrance when he heard a familiar voice. "Dr Weir's here."

"Pretend you're asleep." stated Rodney quickly.

"Good idea." Sheppard settled back against his pillows and closed his eyes. Moments later he could hear her footsteps approach.

Weir saw Sheppard's team gathered around his bed. She glanced over at Sheppard as she approached and noticed that his eyes were closed. She moved her gaze to Rodney and noticed that he looked a little uncomfortable under her scrutiny. _Something is going on._ "Hi, how's he doing?"

"He's doing fine. Carson might even release him tomorrow." replied Rodney quickly.

Weir nodded looking over at Teyla and Ronon to see if they had anything to add but their faces gave nothing away. She wondered if Rodney was just nervous from their earlier encounter in the map room. _Maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt._

"Well maybe we should leave him to sleep undisturbed." stated Weir before turning at the sound of Carson's voice.

"Och, he's not sleeping." stated Carson as he approached the group.

"Of course he is." replied Rodney defensively.

"I'm not deaf, Rodney. I could hear what you were all talking about when I collected his dinner tray?"

"He's right. I'm not. And how could I be with the racket you guys were making." commented Sheppard as he opened his eyes.

Weir turned to Sheppard, her eyebrow raised and waited for an explanation.

At that point Rodney stood up from the chair and announced "Well now since that has been cleared up I've got work to do."

Sheppard shot Rodney a dirty look as he made his exit from the infirmary with both Ronon and Teyla following making their own excuses. "I believe I have dinner plans." remarked Teyla whilst Ronon added "I have a gym session."

Weir let them make their escape focusing her attention on John. He meanwhile looked towards Carson seeing the look of enjoyment on his face. "This is payback isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes, Colonel. Next time maybe you'll do as you're told and stay in bed. I'll leave you two alone to chat."

Weir waited until Carson had moved away before she took a step closer and crossed her arms in front of her.

"I hear Rodney got the holographic interface from the settlement working." opened Sheppard.

"He did." replied Weir.

Sheppard felt her eyes watching him closely, he looked away then down, suddenly more interested in straightening the bedcovers. "I…I didn't mean to embarrass you. I didn't know it was going to take my thoughts and use them to create a hologram."

Weir smiled at his nervousness. "I know, John."

Sheppard looked up when he realized that she wasn't angry with him. "What? Rodney said…"

"I was just a little surprised until I caught Zelenka and Ronon staring at it, then I was embarrassed." interrupted Weir propping herself on the edge of the bed.

Sheppard put his hand over hers and curled his fingers around hers. "I really am sorry."

Weir gave him a smile "So what made you think of that night?"

Sheppard looked down at their hands as he thought about his answer. _Should he admit that he'd thought of that evening many times and of the way she had looked in that dress? That like every other man in the room that night he couldn't take his eyes off her._

"John?" asked Weir her expression changing to one of concern before relaxing._ Is he actually blushing? He is. He must be thinking about that dress again._

"Um. I was thinking about the trip I promised you and the last time when you were truly relaxed, I guess." replied John hoping his answer didn't sound too corny. He wasn't ready to admit to her just how often his thoughts were of her.

Weir studied his face closely. She could see the signs around his eyes that he had another headache. "I seem to recall that your reaction was similar to theirs when you first saw me in that dress." stated Weir with an impish grin. She wasn't about to let on that she'd caught him watching her all night long and that she'd seen the look on his face when she'd accepted a dance from the planet's leader. Telling him that would only make him wonder why she'd been watching him. "Perhaps I should let you get some rest." She stood and gave his hand a squeeze before she left.

Next morning Carson repeated his checks before announcing "Okay, Colonel. You can leave but I want you to take it easy for a day or two. Light duties only. You might still get the odd headache but if these don't fix then I want to see you back in here. No excuses." Carson handed Sheppard a small bottle of pills.

"Thanks, Doc." replied Sheppard reaching for the clothes that the nurse had left on the bed.

Sheppard made his way to the mess hall to grab some much needed coffee. Whilst in the queue he overheard the two women in front of him talking about a red dress in great detail. _Surely there couldn't be two red dresses?_ He moved closer hoping to catch a name. He grew frustrated as they continued to discuss the embroidery before he got lucky and heard Elizabeth's name mentioned. Then he realized that Elizabeth wouldn't be happy if she knew.

"Ah, excuse me ladies I couldn't help but overhear. Have you seen this dress?"

They turned, surprised to see the Military Commander behind them. "I..I have. George…I mean Lieutenant Stevens took me to see the hologram in the map room. Was that wrong?"

Sheppard gave her a small smile. _I'm gonna kill Rodney if Elizabeth doesn't find out first. _"No you did nothing wrong. Thank you ladies."

Sheppard found Rodney in the map room checking the data crystals. The holographic Elizabeth was still running and it still wore _that_ dress. Zelenka was over by the console connecting what looked like the tactile interface.

"Rodney, what did you do? Have you been selling tickets to see the hologram?"

Rodney looked up in surprise. "No why?"

"I just overheard some people in the mess talking about it. It would seem that a number of people have been in here to have a look."

Zelenka turned at Sheppard's voice and saw that he was not happy. "I warned you, Rodney that it was not a good idea. Rodney left it running last night."

"Why?" asked Sheppard

"I didn't want to risk not being able to restart it. Look the connection is dodgy at best. And besides it wasn't like I advertised it or anything."

"Yeah, right. Well I suggest that you change the image before Elizabeth gets wind of it."

"Alright, alright. I don't know why she should take it out on me." Rodney continued as he moved over to the tactile interface and checked the connections. He then placed his hand on the pad but nothing happened. The image of Weir remained. He took a step back. "Okay, Colonel. Either this interface isn't working or it likes you better. Put your hand here and think of someone besides Elizabeth."

Sheppard complied. The image of Elizabeth shimmered and dissolved.

"John?"

The image began to reform as Sheppard turned to see Weir stood in the doorway. His hand was still on the pad.

"Should you be operating that?"

"Beckett has cleared me."

"For light duties only. I don't want to see you over-doing it."

"I thought I told you to think of someone else, Colonel." stated Rodney.

Sheppard and Weir turned to look at the new holographic image. "Well at least I'm wearing standard issue clothing this time." remarked Weir glancing from the hologram to Sheppard.

"Sorry."

Weir gave him a small smile. "Take it easy today, John. Rodney will you be able to access the database today?"

Rodney drew his attention from the data crystals back to Weir. "Yes, we should be able to do that now that we have the control program running it should just be a matter of connecting the crystals and running some searches."

"Good. Let me know what you find." stated Weir before leaving the room.

"Maybe I should stick around for a while." commented Sheppard.

"It could take Rodney and I hours, Colonel."

"I will call you when I have it set up and running, okay. Now move out of my way."

Sheppard shook his head and decided to leave them to it. He had plenty of others things to take care of especially with Lorne side-lined in the infirmary.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Want to know what information the new database holds? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out. Will it lead to a new adventure? Most definitely. Will it provide them with the means to defeat the Wraith? I'm not telling – you'll have to keep reading. Will Weir and Sheppard move beyond flirting and friendship? Maybe. You'll have to keep reading to find out. The only guarantee is that whumpage is coming and that reviews feed the beast.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay in posting. Real life has no respect for the world of Atlantis. I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her review of this chapter. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Linda Gagne:** Thanks for your comments. There is definitely whump in Sheppard's future and some adventure. Hope you enjoy.

**Shadows-of-Realm:** Glad you liked it. I hope you like this chapter as well.

And thank you to everyone else who has taken the time to leave a review. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 12**

Sheppard spent the day attending to the many tasks that fell to the Commanding Officer of a military base and his 2IC. Weir found him in his office reviewing a report on his laptop. Sheppard looked up at her approach giving her one of his trademark lopsided smiles. "Are you checking up on me?"

"Someone has to. You have a tendency to ignore the doctor's advice. I thought you might like to join me in the mess for a meal."

Sheppard closed his laptop as he stood up, replying "Sounds good." as he followed her out the door.

Ronon and Teyla joined them in the mess just as Weir finished her sandwich.

"Teyla, Ronon." greeted Weir as she stood. "Well if you'll excuse me I have a meeting to attend to. Don't overdo it, John."

"We will make sure that he does not." replied Teyla.

"I don't need a babysitter." complained John

"Don't intend to. I've got McKay's latest DVD. I thought we could watch it this afternoon." stated Ronon as he scooped up another spoonful of food.

Sheppard thought about the reports waiting for him in his office and decided that a DVD sounded much better.

"I don't know how you convinced McKay to give it to you, but you're on."

"McKay doesn't know." replied Ronon.

Sheppard was sat on the bed in the infirmary waiting impatiently for Carson. He was silently hoping for clearance for normal duties so he could do more than just eat, sleep and do paperwork. The bruises were still evident on the side of his face and had started to change colour from the deep purple almost black that they had originally been. The scratches were also still in evidence but they too were showing signs of healing.

"Sorry about that, Colonel. Now let me take a wee look at you. Any more headaches, nausea or dizziness?"

"No, doc. I feel fine." replied Sheppard. He noticed Caron's raised eyebrows in response and added "I'm serious Carson. I really do feel fine. I took it easy all day yesterday."

"Good." replied Carson taking his penlight from his coat pocket. "I'll just give you a quick checkup then and we can see about letting you return to full duty then."

After leaving the infirmary Sheppard found Ronon in his room. "Wanna go for a run?"

"Sure. The doc cleared you?"

"He did. Full active duty. So let's go."

Ronon and Sheppard took their usual route through the city taking them out to one of the far piers and back. Sheppard could tell that Ronon wasn't taking it easy on him at all, keeping to their normal pace. Normally they would run everyday but thanks to his stay in the infirmary it has been a few days since he had last gone for a run and he was feeling it.

Ronon was aware that Sheppard was struggling to keep up. He could always outrun the man but today he could see that Sheppard was struggling more than usual. He decided to shorten the distance a little and give Sheppard time to get his fitness level back. He turned a corner and headed them back towards the city. The pier could wait for tomorrow.

Sheppard noticed. "You going soft on me?"

"Not soft you're just not ready to run the full distance yet."

They had just arrived back in the inhabited part of the city near the sleeping quarters when Rodney caught up with him and wrinkled his nose. Ronon smirked at Rodney's physical discomfort.

"Can I assume from the smell that Carson has okayed you for full active duty?" asked Rodney.

"If you don't like the smell you can always speak to me after I've had a shower." remarked Sheppard as he continued walking towards his quarters. Rodney fell in alongside him.

"I'm good and besides this can't wait. I've found references in the new database to what appears to be an Ancient testing site."

"A testing site for what?" asked Sheppard.

"I don't know yet. It looks like the bulk of the data on the site is within the crystals that we left behind."

"Work on shoring up the building has been progressing slowly. It may be a few weeks before there is any chance of accessing the remainder of the database." replied Sheppard.

"I know that's why we need to go to the testing site ourselves."

Sheppard stopped walking and turned to Rodney and asked "And why can't this wait until we have access to the remainder of the database?"

"The test site has a powerful energy source that could be very useful."

"A ZPM?" asks Sheppard.

"No it appears to be a new type of energy source. The data on it is incomplete but it seems to be at least as powerful as a ZPM."

Sheppard didn't need to hear anything more. "Okay I'll speak with Elizabeth." He recommenced walking towards his quarters and noticed that Rodney seemed impatient. He turned back to Rodney and added pointedly "_After_ I've had a shower."

Weir looked at the senior team members gathered around the table in the conference room. Sheppard was sipping coffee. She noted that he still looked tired. No doubt the constant battle with the Wraith and the losses that they had incurred in this galaxy were weighing as heavily on his shoulders as they did hers. The cuts and bruises did nothing to minimise the effect. Teyla was sat by his right side and looked at peace as she usually did. Maybe it was time she followed Teyla's lead and took some time out for meditation. It might help her sleep better. Ronon was slouched in his seat next to Teyla. He was an enigma to most of the Atlantis team. Dependable, loyal to his friends but he seldom spoke especially about himself. He was similar to Sheppard in that way and it was the main reason that they had gravitated together. Rodney was on Sheppard's left and looked anything but serene. Rodney often behaved as if he was high on caffeine and true he did like his coffee to the extreme but his behaviour was usually linked to his scientific discoveries. He was currently tapping the table with his fingers in an urgent pattern as he anxiously waited for the list of potential sites to be discussed. She saw the look of annoyance pass across Sheppard's face and decided she'd better get on with the next part of the meeting. She looked down at the list of potential sites and saw the first item.

"Why do you want to go to this moon?" asked Weir looking across at Rodney.

Rodney stopped his excited table tapping and replaced it with his usual animated explanation that meant that he was being impatient that not everyone found things as obvious as he did. Which of course only confirmed his own intelligence and how much smarter than his teammates he considered himself.

"The information in the Ancient database indicates that interesting minerals were found on this moon. Interesting enough for them to establish an outpost on the moon to examine the properties of the minerals. It appears that the Ancients were investigating the possibility of using the minerals in a weapon against the Wraith. It also seems that they may have been in the process of developing a new power source. A power source that would make a ZPM look like a candle by comparison."

Sheppard looked at Rodney with interest and surprise saying "You never mentioned a weapon." He liked the sound of anything that would make his life a little easier. They'd encountered the Wraith on several of their most recent trips through the Stargate and had barely gotten away again in one piece. Several members of the Atlantis crew had not been so lucky. He did not want to attend any more funerals or write any more condolence letters to their families. He was sure that Weir felt the same way.

"I take it they weren't successful in developing a weapon since the Wraith are still a problem." added Weir.

"It looks more like the Wraith worked out what they were up to and attacked the moon. No-one survived and the research was abandoned." replied Rodney.

"So why didn't the Wraith take-over where the Ancients left off?" asked Sheppard.

Rodney looked frustrated and replied "How should I know? The important thing is the mineral and power source could be very useful and there may be more information available on the moon than we have here."

Weir considered the idea and said "Last time we tried to continue the Ancient's research we destroyed a solar system. Colonel, what do you think?"

Sheppard glanced at Rodney before replying "Rodney's right. I think it's worth investigating. Anything that could help us fight the Wraith would be useful."

Weir nodded her assent. "Okay you have a go for tomorrow but I want you to take two jumpers and some extra protection against the Wraith. I'd like to see one mission return without any injuries."

With that the meeting was over and the doors swung open. Everyone stood and started to file out, Rodney was talking animatedly to Sheppard about all the equipment he could take in two jumpers. Weir shook her head and smiled to herself. Mckay's opinion of Sheppard had certainly undergone a transformation since they'd been thrown together and he'd learnt the hard way that Sheppard was smarter that he normally let on.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Will it be false hope or the answer that they need? Has Rodney learnt his lessons from past experiences or does he still have lessons to learn? I'm not telling. Will Weir get her wish? Of course not where would be the fun in that if Sheppard wasn't on the receiving end of some more whump. But enough said I don't want to spoil the ride for all those following this story. For those that are I would love to hear from you as it helps to keep me motivated – so please leave a review. I will reply to as many as I can.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Jodz92: **Thank you for your continued support and kind remarks. I hope you can hold on for the whump. It is coming. I know I keep saying that but it will be worth the wait.

**Linda Gagne:** You'd be thinking right. Trouble usually finds Sheppard and his team and I don't want to disappoint. Thanks for your review.

**XX-Samantha-XX:** Glad your still enjoying the story. Don't worry I'll keep my promise with the Shep whump. Not too many chapters before he'll be wishing he'd stayed in bed.

And thank you to everyone else who has taken the time to leave a review. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 13**

The sun was slowly setting over the ocean and a gentle breeze was blowing in from the distant mainland bathing the city bringing with it a salty tang. Elizabeth was out on her balcony leaning on the railing and breathing in the sweet smell as she watched the colour of the sky change from blue through to orange. She enjoyed taking the time to watch the sunset when she could but life on Atlantis with the constant threat of the Wraith usually meant that this wasn't possible.

Sheppard entered the control room and made his way up the stairs towards Weir's office to find it empty before he noticed her out on the balcony. He leaned against the open door and watched her as she leaned into the breeze and breathed in deeply. He smiled to himself and stepped out onto the balcony to join her at the railing. Elizabeth glanced over and gave him a smile.

"All ready to go in the morning?" asked Elizabeth.

"We will be, if Rodney can decide on what equipment to take."

Elizabeth smiled for a moment before her expression changed and she looked down towards the waves in the fading light. Sheppard noticed the change but made no comment. Something was obviously on her mind and he could give her his support without knowing the details. He watched the sunset as the colours deepened into blood red. The colour was so intense that it appeared to bleed into the ocean mixing with the deep dark blue water. He loved the feel of the breeze on his face. It gave him a sense of freedom and the fresh air reminded him that he was far away from Earth and its pollution. Elizabeth broke his reverie when she spoke.

"Promise me you'll be careful tomorrow. We've had too many encounters with the Wraith lately. Too many injured."

Sheppard turned to face Elizabeth and leaned on the railing with his elbow. He saw the concern in her eyes and the tiredness that it resulted in. He wished he could wipe away her fears but the best he could do was to help he bear the burden of leadership.

"I promise we'll be careful. I'm taking two teams; we'll use stealth mode to check that there are no Wraith around or any other life threatening species around with us on the menu before we approach."

"I'm serious, John."

"So am I. Rodney is convinced that this site has something we could seriously use right about now but if it looks too dangerous we'll return to Atlantis and work out a new plan. No unnecessary risks."

"I could drink to that."

"That can be arranged." replied Sheppard with a lopsided smile.

"So I guess we're postponing our little trip again." enquired Elizabeth wistfully.

Sheppard glances over at her "Lorne will probably be released in a few days. He could run you over to the mainland. Visit the Athosians. Drink some of their liquor."

Elizabeth smiled at his suggestion before replying "I'm sure he would but the idea was to make you take a break and relax."

"I've had a break over the last few days."

"The infirmary doesn't count, John."

"I'll take a break when we get back from this trip. If Rodney finds something useful there then I'll assign some military teams to keep an eye on all the scientists that McKay will no doubt want to send and then _we_ can make our escape for a few days. They'll be too busy to even notice that we're gone."

Elizabeth smiled at the thought of a few days off away from the endless reports that running Atlantis seemed to require.

"You're on. I've had about enough of reports on the desalination plant and the sewage processing maintenance required to last me a lifetime."

-------------------------------------------

Teyla and Ronon were in the back of Jumper One securing their supplies and weapons. McKay was checking his equipment as one of his assistants carried it on board. Ronon watched for a while before saying, "Does Sheppard know you're taking your entire lab?"

"Very funny. Careful with that." remarked Rodney to the young assistant as he nearly dropped a case of equipment.

Williams and his team were loading the second jumper with more arsenal and lab equipment under the watchful eye of Zelenka and another scientist.

Sheppard joined them in the jumper bay carrying his backpack in one hand and the P-90 in the other. He approached Rodney as he glanced into the jumper.

"Everything _is_ loaded?" asked Sheppard.

"Just finishing up now." replied Rodney.

"Good. I'm glad you've left some room for the crew." replied Sheppard as he passed his pack to Ronon along with his weapon.

"This is all essential equipment." insisted Rodney.

"And if we want to bring some souvenirs back?" asked Sheppard.

"I doubt the weapon or power source would fit in the jumper anyway." replied Rodney

"How do you know?"

McKay thought about that and replied "Well…I don't…not for sure. But …"

"So it's just a guess?" asked Sheppard.

Rodney looked uncomfortable before finally admitting "It's an _educated_ guess."

"Fine. We can send for another jumper if we need it to carry anything back." replied Sheppard before moving over to check with Williams.

Williams confirmed that his team was ready to go before entering the second jumper to start his pre-flight check leaving Sheppard stood next to Zelenka. "Sure that you don't want to join us, Radek?"

"I would like to but Rodney has assigned me to continue research with Arnyetta. There may be more research sites such as this one." replied Radek.

Sheppard nodded his acceptance. "Hopefully we could use some help against the Wraith."

"Good luck, Colonel"

With that Sheppard stepped into Jumper One, moving up to the cockpit and settling into the pilot's seat. Rodney finished checking that his equipment was secure and joined him as Sheppard closed the hatch. Ronon and Teyla were already seated in the second row of seats.

Weir watched as Jumper One dropped slowly from the jumper bay opening and paused before the open Stargate. She touched her radio and said, "Good luck, Colonel and stay safe."

"Keep the home-lights burning." responded Sheppard before setting the jumper in motion through the gate. He was followed moments later by Jumper Two with Williams in charge.

The gate closed as soon as the second jumper had passed through the event horizon and Weir felt a moment of uneasiness. It was a feeling she was familiar with as she felt every time a team went through the gate but it was worse this time. The last few teams had encountered the Wraith or their aftermath, proof of their increased activities since awakening and learning of Atlantis' resurgence as a threat. She told herself that the Wraith were behind the reason why she worried so much about Sheppard and his team. Not allowing herself to examine her feelings any further she returned to her office and the endless tasks required to keep the city running.

**TBC**

**A/N:** They're on the way to a new adventure at last. What will happen? Will they encounter the Wraith? Will they find what they are looking for and will it help them in their fight? Will Weir and Sheppard admit their feelings towards each other? Who knows? I do but I'm not telling just yet. You'll just have to keep reading and sending in those reviews to feed my imagination. The only secret I will reveal is that there is whump in Sheppard's future (because we all love it so much) and maybe in some other futures.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Jodz92:** Thanks for your continued support. I hope you enjoy the new instalment.

**Linda Gagne:** Thanks. I agree that they would've made a nice couple especially with all those private balcony scenes they shared. I hope you keep reading to see how their relationship continues.

**shepsgirl72:** Thanks, aren't I mean to keep you waiting? Hopefully you enjoy it when all is revealed. But you need to be patient as there are still a few chapters to go before all is resolved.

And thank you to everyone else who has taken the time to leave a review. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 14**

Once through the stargate both jumpers immediately cloaked as a precaution. The gate was in orbit above the moon giving a good view of surrounding space on this half.

"Any Wraith?" asked Ronon.

Rodney checked the sensors and replied "No. Not on this side at least."

"Pity" replied Ronon.

Teyla gave Ronon a patient smile. Although they had extra weapons to defend themselves they really did not need an encounter with the Wraith right now.

"You'll get your turn." replied Sheppard as he opened communications with the second jumper. "Major, I want you to scout the other side of the moon for any activity. Wraith or otherwise and report back. We'll go down and locate the facility."

"Yes sir." replied the major before the second jumper broke away.

" I'm not picking up any energy signals from the moon." stated Rodney as he continued his scans of the moon as travelled towards the atmosphere. His fingers moved across the console before him as he adjusted the settings.

"Might the facility be shielded?" asked Teyla.

"No. If it was I should be able to pick up the energy signal of the shield."

"Maybe the Ancients just switched if off when they left." added Sheppard.

"Knowing our luck they left it running and it's depleted or the Wraith destroyed it." replied Rodney.

"That's what we're here to find out. So let's check it out."

As they neared the atmosphere it appeared filled with grey white clouds see obscuring what lay below. Sheppard guided the jumper down into the atmosphere relying on the ship's sensors to alert him to any dangers. Sheppard took the jumper down through the clouds to their first view of the surface below.

"There is a breathable atmosphere, a little thin maybe but sufficient to sustain human life and there aren't any life signs in the area." remarked Rodney from the co-pilot's seat. Teyla leaned forward and put her hand on the back of Sheppard's seat as she studied her first view of the moon.

"Did we not know that before we left Atlantis?" asked Teyla.

"Well… I wasn't completely sure." admitted Rodney ignoring the look from Sheppard. "The information in the database on this site was incomplete. I told you that."

"Rodney!"

"Well it was unlikely to be poisonous to humans if the Ancients had a research site here." replied Rodney.

Sheppard knew that Rodney was probably right but it still annoyed him. He too a deep breath and re-focused his thoughts. "Where's this facility?" asked Sheppard looking at the HUD details as he called up a view of the planet's surface.

Rodney scanned the image before pointing "There."

Sheppard took them in the direction indicated and brought them in low. "Are you sure that it's safe? There seems to be a lot of volcanic activity." remarked Sheppard as they flew over an area of bubbling mud.

"We should be fine for a few days." replied Rodney keeping his eyes on the view out the front and ignoring the glare that Sheppard was giving him.

Teyla hoped that Rodney was right. His confidence about the stability of ruins on PX3-M37 had been proven wrong and it hadn't been the first time either. There had been more than enough injuries lately and they could really make use of a new weapon against the Wraith. She longed to give her people a future without the threat of being culled like farm animals.

Shortly later the structure came into view on the horizon.

"It looks Ancient." commented Ronon.

"Was there any doubt?" queried Rodney.

"Let's concentrate on finding a landing spot that isn't full of boiling mud, shall we?"

Rodney examined the diagram before him and adjusted the settings before he indicated a spot to Sheppard. "There. That spot should be pretty solid."

"Should be?" asked Sheppard glancing over at Rodney before returning his attention to the view through the front.

"Semantics."

Sheppard brought the jumper down for a smooth landing in the spot indicated by Rodney. They were behind a shallow rise, a short distance away from the building.

"Okay guys let's move out." stated Sheppard as he shut down the power to the jumper. He picked up his weapon and attached it to his vest as he exited the jumper and looked at their surroundings. "We'll leave the equipment here and give the building a quick once over first."

Sheppard studied the building as they neared it. The building was similar in design to other Ancient architecture that they had encountered.

"It's small for a weapons research site." remarked Ronon.

"Oh and you have so much experience with those." replied Rodney "It probably extends below ground."

Sheppard stopped in front of what appeared to be the entrance. Rodney was busy studying his scanner and nearly walked into Sheppard. "Why are you stopping?"

Sheppard glanced behind at Rodney and replied "Just making sure that it's safe. You know, no hibernating Wraith, no imminent structural failures."

Rodney scowled "Are you still mad about that?"

Sheppard wasn't but he wasn't about to tell McKay that. He accepted the risks that came with what they were doing. He just wished that McKay wouldn't get quite so excited by a new scientific discovery that he became less observant about the other dangers around him putting himself and others at risk. Sheppard had seen the danger and just managed to push McKay out of the way before the roof had collapsed.

He turned his attention back to the entrance and ran his hand over the sensor but nothing happened. Rodney moved up beside the sensor. "Let me take a look." He slipped the cover off and re-arranged the crystals a few times. Each time with the same result. Nothing.

"It doesn't look like this place has any power left." announced Rodney.

"Let me." stated Ronon moving up to the door. Rodney moved out of the way as Ronon used his brute strength in a bid to open the door.

"That isn't going to work." stated Rodney just as Ronon managed to shift the door an inch. Sheppard added his muscles and between them they gradually pushed the door to one side far enough to let them through. Ronon just looked at Rodney until Rodney added "Okay so I was wrong." He looked away as Ronon smirked at his admission.

Sheppard turned on the light of his P-90 and shone it into the room illuminating the Ancient equipment. "Wait here, Rodney while I check it out. Teyla you're with me. Ronon make sure McKay stays put."

Rodney opened his mouth to complain but Sheppard had already stepped into the building. Teyla followed him in, her P-90 raised to light the way. She noticed Rodney's expression and added "It is for your own safety."

The first room was the size of the control room at Atlantis and contained several free-standing consoles. Sheppard and Teyla quickly cleared the room and made their way over to a doorway leading off to their right. Teyla moved to Sheppard's right so she could light the other side of the room. Together they swept their lights around the room to check for dangers before Sheppard stepped inside. This room contained no equipment. Instead it contained furnishings not unlike those found in Atlantis indicating that it was living quarters. Several doors led off from this room and they checked each of these only to have their thoughts confirmed. They found several bedrooms, bathrooms and what they assumed was a kitchen given the broken crockery scattered on the floor.

"There does not appear to be any weapons stored here." remarked Teyla as they made there way back to the main entrance.

"This may be just the research facility. I doubt they'd store any weapons next door to where they sleep."

They found Rodney still by the entrance waiting impatiently.

"Well?"

"It's safe Rodney. No structural flaws, no enemy in waiting and no weapons."

"What?" asked Rodney, his face not hiding the disappointment at one of their hopes being dashed so quickly.

"We did find their living quarters and some Ancient devices. Maybe these will lead you to the weapons or the power source that you mentioned." added Teyla.

Rodney stepped towards the entrance and followed Sheppard back into the building. He moved from one console to another using the light from Sheppard's weapon to try and determine the purpose of each unit. "I'm going to need power to work out what these devices do. Luckily I thought about this possibility and brought a Naquadah generator along."

"You brought everything along, McKay."

Rodney removed his backpack and removed his tools and started removing the cover from the first panel. Once done he then found the torch that he'd packed after their last off-world trip and started to examine the inner workings. Realising that Sheppard was still stood near him he turned and announced "You _could_ make yourself useful and fetch the generator."

Sheppard shook his head before going on the errand. He found Ronon and Teyla outside.

"Rodney wants the generator."

"I'll fetch it." volunteered Ronon. "Beats standing around waiting for something to happen here."

"Bring back some extra power bars for McKay. We could be here a while." added Sheppard.

They were some distance from the nearest pool of bubbling mud but still they could smell its foul stench. The expression on her face was not a pleasant one. "This place smells of death." remarked Teyla.

"On the contrary." stated Rodney as he stepped outside to join them. "The volcanic activity provides the nutrients that will result in a forest growing here many years from now."

"It still smells bad" replied Sheppard.

"I agree" replied Rodney with a smile. "I need you to hold something for me, Colonel."

Sheppard sighed raising a smile from Teyla as he followed Rodney back into the building.

Ten minutes later Ronon had returned with the generator and Rodney was in the process of connecting it up to the Ancient consoles. Minutes later Sheppard's radio crackled to life and Major Williams voice emanated. "_Colonel Sheppard?_"

Sheppard tapped his earpiece and responded "Go ahead Major."

"_We've checked the far-side of the moon and have found no sign of the Wraith or any other life-forms._"

"Roger that. Return to the co-ordinates for the Ancient site. Sheppard out."

Sheppard looked over at Rodney to see that he was busy scrolling through screens on his datapad that was now connected to the Ancient device.

"Have you switched it on yet?" asked Sheppard.

"I'm working on it."

"Are you sure that you've connected that thing to the right console?"

"No." admitted Rodney reluctantly.

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Rodney had moved to his third console by the time Jumper Two arrived with the second team. Williams approached the Ronon and Teyla with his team.

"Sheppard's inside." indicated Ronon.

Williams nodded his acknowledgement and turned to his team. "Wait outside guys. Dr Johnson come with me. I'm sure McKay will appreciate the help."

"I'm not so sure." replied Dr Johnson as he followed his team leader into the building.

"How's it going, Colonel?" asked Williams.

"It isn't." sighed Sheppard "McKay is still trying to get the thing switched on." Sheppard glanced over to where McKay was buried within the machine, ignorant of the new arrivals. "Hey, McKay. Help has arrived."

Rodney pulled himself out of the equipment. "What?"

"Johnson's here." repeated Sheppard pointing in Johnson's direction. "Maybe he can work out how to switch this thing on."

"Very droll, Colonel. Johnson make yourself useful and start looking at that console in the corner. One of these has to control the main power supply. Once we identify it then I can connect the generator to it."

Sheppard stepped over to William's side and said "Keep an eye on them and make sure they don't blow themselves up. I need some fresh air."

"Yes sir."

Sheppard was used to keeping watch while the scientists spent hours doing their work. It was boring but he preferred it. Ronon on the other hand was growing more restless he noticed as he approached from the building. "How much longer must we wait?"

"Patience." replied Sheppard.

"Is it not time to check in with Atlantis?" remarked Teyla.

Sheppard checked his watch and nodded. "You're right." He could see she was bored as well but she managed it better than Ronon. "I'll be back in a little while. Make sure Ronon doesn't feel tempted to start shooting things to alleviate his boredom."

"I'll try." replied Teyla with a smile.

---------------------------------------

A few more hours later the sun had set when Sheppard went to check on Rodney and the other scientist. He found Rodney looking rather despondent as he stared at the screen of his laptop.

"What's the matter?" asked Sheppard.

"It's a bust." replied Rodney.

"What?"

"The data here indicates that they couldn't make the mineral stable enough for use as a weapon." explained Rodney

Sheppard shared McKay's disappointment. Dr Johnson was sat over the screen of another laptop and suddenly sat upright, pushing his glasses up his nose. Sheppard saw his reaction and turned towards him.

"I have something."

Rodney moved over to Johnson's laptop and looked at what was on the screen. Sheppard joined them and saw an outline image of a device.

"What is it?" asked Sheppard

Rodney skimmed through the technical data. "This is the power source that I was looking for."

"Where is it? I didn't see anything like that around here." remarks Sheppard.

Rodney pulls up a map on the screen and looks at Sheppard. "It isn't on this moon. It's on a planet three hours away."

--------------------------------------

Sheppard sat in the cockpit of the jumper talking to Weir. Rodney sat next to him with an anxious look on his face.

"Why did they put the power source on another planet?" asks Weir.

"I've no idea." replied Rodney

"Okay go check it out but Rodney, don't get carried away with this."

"We'll spend the night here and head out in the morning. We'll be too far from the gate to report in from the planet." stated Sheppard knowing Elizabeth wouldn't like them being out of contact for too long but the potential reward was worth the risk. He knew he was right when she didn't say anything for a moment. Knew she was thinking of the encounter with the Uberwraith that had resulted in the death of Gaul and Abrams and could've ended his own and Rodney's death. He had to stop her from dwelling on that incident. "We'll be fine. We have two jumpers and plenty of fire power."

"You'd go even if you didn't. Okay report in this time tomorrow. And Colonel?"

"Yes?"

"Stay safe." replied Weir "You too, Rodney."

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Weir broke the connection with Sheppard. She was disappointed that the hope of finding a weapon appeared to be lost. She knew that John would also be disappointed. It was his job to defend Atlantis from the Wraith and he had limited options to use against them. She could see the burden he carried and though he often acted as though its weight wasn't crushing she seen those moments of self doubt when he'd been unaware that anyone was watching him. She really hoped for his sake that the power source wouldn't turn out to be a bust as well. For all their sakes really.

She broke from her reverie and headed out of the control room with the intention of trying to get some sleep. It was late and all but the night crew had already gone to bed hours ago.

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They decided to use the Ancient sleeping quarters for themselves. Each room held two beds giving them 6 beds in total. Sheppard took first watch with Teyla. Their watch passed slowly and uneventfully. Sheppard went inside one of the bedrooms to find Rodney still sat up hunched over his laptop reading what was on the screen.

"You really should get some sleep, Rodney." advised Sheppard as he woke Ronon for his watch.

"I'm not tired. Besides I only need a few hours sleep to be fully functional."

Sheppard shook his head and dropped down onto the bed Ronon had vacated. It had been a long day and tomorrow was likely to be just as long. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sounds of McKay tapping on his datapad. Within minutes he was asleep.

Rodney continued to examine the information he'd downloaded from the ancient machine to his datapad with growing excitement. This discovery could be the answer to all of their problems. He looked over at Sheppard's sleeping form and could just make out his outline by the door by the light that leaked from his datapad. He knew that Sheppard still blamed himself for waking the Wraith and for triggering the homing beacon that Teyla had worn as a necklace. He really wanted to find something that would help protect Atlantis and make his friend's life a little easier.

He climbed off the bed and made his way towards the door, trying to find his way in the dark. He misjudged the length of the beds and walked into the end of Sheppard's bed waking him.

"McKay?"

"Sorry."

"What are you doing up?" asked Sheppard as he rolled over to face the direction the voice had come from in the dark.

"Bathroom." replied Rodney knowing Sheppard wouldn't like the real answer. "Go back to sleep, Sheppard."

Sheppard leaned back and closed his eyes again taking Rodney at his word. Rodney continued out of the room and found his way carefully to the room with the Ancient devices. He connected his datapad and started searching for more information that may be of use to them. He started downloading as much as he could fit onto his PC after making some changes to his compression algorithm to improve its efficiency.

When he'd completed the download he returned to his room and started to scroll through the additional details. He didn't realize he'd started mumbling to himself until a grumpy voice emanated from the next bed.

"Will you shut up and go to sleep, McKay"

Rodney looked across at Sheppard's bed in surprise. "What?"

"You've been talking to yourself for the last half hour."

"Sorry" replied Rodney deciding maybe it was time to get some sleep himself as he yawned for the first time that night.

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Next morning Teyla awoke early with the sunrise and felt refreshed and invigorated. She got up and went outside to find Sheppard was already up and was quietly packing their gear ready to take back to the jumper. Rodney was sat at his laptop reading something. Teyla went over to Sheppard. "You look like you did not sleep well."

"I didn't thanks to Rodney's insomnia. We'll be ready to leave in thirty minutes, wake the others."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Is all hope of finding a weapon truly lost? Will the search for the power source be a bust? They haven't encountered the Wraith yet but they are not safely back on Atlantis yet. Anything can happen (it's fiction after all) and it probably will. You'll just have to keep reading and sending in those reviews to feed my imagination. The only secret I will reveal is that there is whump in Sheppard's future and it is getting closer. Now if you like this chapter then just push that little button at the bottom of the page and leave a review or just say hello.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having to put up with a broken leg. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**shep's1girl:** It's always good to hear from a new reviewer. I'm glad that you are enjoying the story so far. Hope you like the new instalment.

**VampCaro:** Welcome to you as well. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for this chapter.

**J loves JS:** I'll try not to keep you holding your breathe for too long. Wouldn't want you to pass out or you might miss the whump.

**crossMyheartHope2Spy:** Hello back. And I find all reviews inspiring as they let me know that there is an interested audience out there and that my words aren't just floating off into the ether, never to be seen again.

**Jodz92 & XX-Samantha-XX:** You guys never disappoint. You shall be rewarded for your loyalty with lots of Sheppard whump. I promise. I know I've made you wait so I hope you can be patient for a little longer. Oh and I hope you take up the challenge at the bottom of this chapter.

And thank you to everyone else who has taken the time to leave a review. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 15**

The view as they approached the planet was very different from that of the moon approach. The planet appeared large through the view port and was not unlike Earth with large bodies of water separated by large land masses. White clouds could be seen on the far horizon. Sheppard brought up the heads up display and checked for any other vessels in the region. Satisfied that no Wraith were present he started his descent towards the planet's atmosphere. "Getting any readings, Rodney?" asked Sheppard.

"I'm picking up something but I'm not sure what it is."

"Is it the power source?" asked Sheppard.

"Didn't you hear what I just said." snapped Rodney looking across at Sheppard to see him raising his eyebrows. He sighed before conceding "Possibly. But it is faint. Either it is in stand-by mode or it is partially shielded."

"So where is this facility?" asked Sheppard as the jumper descended through the atmosphere passing through a thin layer of clouds.

Rodney checked his datapad and then the HUD before him and indicated a spot on the display. "It's on the other side of this mountain range." Rodney enlarged the image and then added "This very high mountain range."

Teyla watched the planet rush by beneath them and saw a land covered in dense trees stretching for many miles out to the far horizon where a series of mountains rose from the forest. "They are impressive." remarked Teyla as they drew nearer.

Fifteen minutes later they had nearly reached the mountains. "Is that snow?" asked Ronon as he looked over Sheppard's shoulder.

Sheppard glanced in the direction he was pointing and nodded. "Sure is. Mountain this high it's probably there year round." He then turned his attention to Rodney. "Exactly where in these mountains is the facility?"

"It should be just up ahead." replied Rodney bringing up a detailed map of the area on the HUD. A flashing red dot marked the point of origin for the energy signal.

Sheppard contacted Williams "Major, McKay has located the facility. We're going to check out the area around it and see if we can't find ourselves somewhere to land. I want you to do a recon of the planet. Look for other structures and life signs. Check back in two hours. We'll call you if we find anything interesting."

"Yes sir" replied Major Williams.

Sheppard flew toward the red dot on the display. The facility wasn't visible from the air but the mountain it occupied was. The mountain was impressive reaching high into the sky with a sheer rock face taking up one third of its height on one side.

"I hope we don't have to climb that thing to access the device." stated Rodney.

"I don't know. It looks like fun." replied Sheppard with a wry smile.

"You _would_ like anything that involves danger." responded Rodney sourly.

"I don't see a facility." remarked Ronon.

"It's within the mountain. The entrance should be at its base." replied Rodney.

"Why would they build the facility into a mountain?" asked Teyla

"Maybe to hide it from the Wraith." suggested Sheppard.

"Maybe" agreed Rodney "Or maybe to use the natural shielding properties of the mountain."

Sheppard took the jumper down closer to the treetops at the base of the mountain and completed another circuit looking for a clearing nearby.

"Okay it looks like we are going to have to do this the old fashioned way. On foot."

Sheppard took the jumper up to search further afield for a clearing in the trees large enough to land the jumper. He quickly spotted one and headed for it. Moments later they were on the ground and Sheppard was shutting the jumper down and triggering the hatch to open. He ignored the look on Rodney's face and slipped into his TAC vest. Sheppard grabbed his P-90 and stepped out of the cloaked jumper into the sunshine. Teyla and Ronon stepped down either side of him and automatically took up defensive positions.

The sun was high in the sky and the air was warm and promising to be a hot day. The tall trees provided some welcome shade from the heat.

"Couldn't you have found a place to land closer to the facility?" remarked Rodney as he lifted his backpack onto his shoulders.

"The exercise is good for you, McKay." replied Sheppard putting on his aviator sunglasses.

"But not when I've got to carry all my equipment from the jumper."

"Take only what you can carry for now. We'll come back and get the rest later."

Rodney looked like he was about to say something else but he changed his mind and nodded instead.

Sheppard pressed the button that closed the hatch remotely before turning and heading out ahead of the others. Teyla stepped in behind Sheppard followed by McKay with Ronon bringing up the rear.

The team had been walking up a steady incline for about twenty minutes when Rodney managed to ask between breaths, "How much further?"

Teyla rolled her eyes while Sheppard responded "About 10 minutes."

Shortly later the ground started to rise more steeply and they came to a small clearing revealing what looked like a cave entrance. Sheppard gave the signal for the team to stop as he arrived at the edge of the trees.

Rodney joined him at the tree-line. "That's it. That's the entrance."

"Any life signs?" asked Sheppard.

"Only ours but then it might not penetrate into the cave." replied Rodney.

"Teyla stay here with Rodney while Ronon and I check out the cave."

"What? Why?" asked Rodney.

"Just stay put until we've made sure it's safe." Sheppard paused and then smiled before continuing "Who knows what alien bugs might be lurking in the darkness."

Ronon could barely contain his laughter as he watched Rodney's reaction.

Rodney swallowed uncomfortably "Just great."

"Be careful, Colonel." added Teyla.

Sheppard stepped out into the clearing followed by Ronon and approached the opening in the mountain. He paused at the entrance to switch on the light on his P-90 before stepping into the tunnel. As he stepped forward he swung the light over the walls and noticed the beams shoring up the ceiling. They looked solid enough even after 10 000 years. He swung the light towards the ceiling; also solid and showing no sign of moisture leeching through. He turned the torchlight back towards the depth but could not make out any end to the tunnel.

As they moved deeper, Sheppard noticed that a few of the beams showed some damage but they still looked safe. The tunnel went in about another 100 metres before opening into a small cavern revealing a closed doorway with a control device to one side that looked similar to those found on Atlantis.

Sheppard hoped that McKay was right about what was on the other side. He touched his radio. "I've found a doorway and I'm about to go through – if this thing is still powered." There was no response so he wasn't sure that they had heard him. "Great they can't hear us. Well here goes nothing." remarked Sheppard as he moved his hand over the controls. The door slid open and revealed a dark entrance. Sheppard shone the light into the entrance to reveal a small empty room with another door opposite the first. Seeing no immediate threat, Sheppard stepped through the doorway while Ronon covered him. The air was stale and musty.

"Why two doors?" asked Ronon.

"No doubt, Rodney would have the answer." replied Sheppard "But I'd say it's either for security or safety. Either way I suspect that the second door won't open until the first is closed."

"How do we close the first one?"

Sheppard looked around the room but found no other device other than the door control. "At I guess I'd say the control closes one door and opens the other. There is only one way to find out."

Ronon joined Sheppard in the small room instantly making the room seem overcrowded. It was obviously not designed to hold more than one or two people at a time and probably not someone of Ronon's stature. Sheppard ran his hand over the control and the door behind them slid shut followed by an audible click. Sheppard took up a defensive position as did Ronon beside him waiting for the inner door to open. When it didn't a few seconds later Sheppard swore "Crap."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no! Stuck in a small space. Will they get out safely? What will happen? I'm not saying anything other than the whump is getting very close now. I can almost smell it. But what is the cause? I'm not saying, why spoil the fun? You can take a guess if you like and drop a line. Has anyone spotted the clue to where this is going yet? Only time will tell so you better keep reading to find the answer. If anyone guesses right they might win a spot as an original character in this or another story. Either way please leave a review with that little button at the bottom of the page.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having to put up with a broken leg. (: Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

And thank you to everyone else who has taken the time to leave a review. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 16**

Ronon turned around in the small space and pulled on the door blocking their way back to the others. Sheppard could hear him grunt with the effort.

Ronon turned around to face Sheppard and said "It won't budge. Now what do we do?"

"We wait." replied Sheppard "Rodney & Teyla will come looking for us."

"Glad I'm not you." replied Ronon.

"Hey, I didn't hear you say that stepping in here was a bad idea."

"I'm not the boss."

Sheppard sighed as he thought about all the things that Rodney was likely to say when he found them.

"Do you feel that?" asked Ronon pulling Sheppard away from his thoughts.

"It's air movement. There must be a vent somewhere." responded Sheppard raising the light on his P-90 and concentrating it on the ceiling. He found the vents and noticed that there were several of them and some were still in the process of opening. As the last one opened a fine mist was injected into the space.

"This just gets better." remarked Sheppard.

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"What's taking them so long?" asked Rodney.

"They have only been gone a few minutes." replied Teyla "I am sure that they are fine."

"I should've gone with them."

Teyla sighed before turning to face Rodney "We will give them more time. The Colonel is merely being cautious. If the Wraith come whilst we are all in that cave then we would be trapped. This way we are not."

Rodney thought about her answer before conceding "Okay point taken."

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The mist continued to enter the room that held them trapped. Sheppard looked around him in the torchlight but there was no way to avoid breathing in whatever the substance was. He tapped his radio again "Rodney, Teyla can you hear me?"

There was no response. Behind him Ronon started to cough as he couldn't help but breathe the substance in. Sheppard joined him moments later covering his mouth with his hand to try and reduce the effect of the mist. Ronon followed suit when he saw that it eased Sheppard's coughing slightly. The relief was minimal but the symptoms did not appear to worsen.

"What is this stuff?" asked Sheppard regretting it the moment he spoke as more of the mist made it into his lungs and his coughing worsened. The harder he coughed the more of the substance he breathed in and the worse he coughed. He sank to his knees hoping that the air would be clearer nearer to the floor.

Ronon joined him placing a hand on Sheppard's arm as he continued to struggle with his breathing. The mist expanded until it filled the room. Ronon heard a noise off to his right. He guided Sheppard's light in the direction of the noise and noticed another vent opening near the floor. Maybe this would be the gas that would finally kill them. He glanced at Sheppard to see if he had noticed the change but he was too busy coughing still to notice anything else.

Ronon decided it was best if they moved away from the new vent. He helped Sheppard to stand up not sure that he could manage it on his own and was surprised to find that the air was starting to clear in the upper part of the chamber. He leaned Sheppard against the wall hoping that he would stay upright now that the air was clearing and turned his attention to the inner door hoping that this would respond to his muscular power where the outer door hadn't.

He put his full weight into it but could not get the door to move. He kicked the door in frustration before turning to find Sheppard back on his knees, his coughing worse as the mist was denser where he sat.

Ronon pulled him back to his feet "You need to stay on your feet, Sheppard. The air is clearer up the top." He watched his friend and was grateful for the nod of acknowledgement that he got from him.

The air continued to clear quickly before the vent swung closed. Moments later an audible click came from the inner door and it began to slide open. Ronon placed himself between the door and his friend and raised his weapon in readiness for whatever lay on the other side.

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Weir found her thoughts drifting for the tenth time in the last hour to Sheppard and his team. She decided to take a break since she couldn't concentrate and found herself in the map room where Zelenka was working with the Arnyetta. The hologram still looked like her and she smiled at the memory of Sheppard's expression when he thought he was in trouble with her because of it.

Radek looked up from his laptop, pushing his glasses backup his nose. "Doctor Weir."

"How's it going Radek?" asked Weir as she moved further into the room.

"There are many entries in this database that are not known to Atlantis. But many are incomplete. It will take some time to examine them all. There is one entry that talks about creating an artificial black hole."

"For what purpose?" asked Weir hoping that she would understand the answer.

"It does not say. Either they got no further with the work or the data is in the section that was not brought back."

"Is there information on any other weapons or power sources in the database?"

"I do not know. The information is extensive and McKay said that there was a lot more crystals left behind."

"Hopefully the engineers will complete their work soon and it will be safe to send another team back to collect the other crystals. It would be good to have a means to defeat the Wraith."

"I agree" replied Radek.

Weir gave him a small smile as the conversation brought her thoughts back to Sheppard and his team again. She sighed and decided to head to the mess for a coffee. It was going to be a long wait to hear from Sheppard and she doubted that she'd relax until she did.

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The building on PX3-M37 looked very different from when Sheppard and his team had first seen it. The engineers had stabilized the ceiling and walls in the first room with metal supports and were examining the second room from the safety of the doorway. The ruins of the ceiling and roof lay scattered across the floor untouched. The rain had finally stopped but it was still cool and humid and puddles covered the floor in the sections where the roof had fallen in.

"I think that wall may collapse if we remove the ceiling. It looks like they are holding each other up." remarked Lieutenant Stevens.

The man beside him studied the wall and noticed the slight angle it had developed and agreed with his colleague's assessment. "The Colonel was very luck he wasn't killed." He turned to check what he could see of the other walls. They too had major cracks, some of which allowed daylight through. Damaged though they were they did not look as if collapse was imminent. "Okay we'll concentrate on this wall first. We'll shore it up from under the ceiling and then maybe we can remove the ceiling. No heroics though. I know that McKay really wants the rest of this stuff but I don't want anyone getting hurt to get it assuming it still works with all this water in here. Okay?"

"Yes sir" replied Stevens.

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**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no she's done it again! What's behind door number 2? Is it more danger? Will Sheppard be alright? What was that mist? I know I'm being cruel and stretching this out but no-one has guessed where this is going although Jodz92 is possibly partly right but I'm not saying which part. There is a clue in this chapter depending on your physics knowledge. There is another clue but I'm not going to tell you where to find it or it would be too easy. I hope the minor whump will tide you over to the main event which should arrive within a chapter or two. So will the answer to the clues. The challenge still stands. Take a guess and drop a line. If anyone guesses right they might win a spot as an original character in this or another story. Either way please leave a review with that little button at the bottom of the page.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having to put up with a broken leg. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

And thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. And for those who haven't taken the opportunity yet to let me know what you think so far, please do leave a review. It's easy, painless and I will reply personally. Commercial break over and on with the adventure.

**Chapter 1****7**

Ronon raised his weapon to cover the doorway taking a step forward listening carefully for any sound of movement filtering in from the darkness. The only light at all was coming from Sheppard's weapon. Sheppard's coughing eased a little as the air in the room cleared. His hand was over his mouth. Ronon signaled for Sheppard to move forward and swing his light into the room. Sheppard nodded his acknowledgement as he muffled another cough before stepping closer and shining his light into the room.

He made a quick sweep with the light looking for any immediate danger before expanding his range. The room was large. Too large for the reach of the light from his P-90. He signaled to Ronon that he would enter the room first whilst Ronon remained by the door. Ronon nodded and watched as Sheppard moved cautiously into the room swinging his light from side to side.

The torchlight revealed a white room. Every surface from the floor to the ceiling was white. Sheppard completed his check of the room and turned back towards Ronon. "Come on in no-one's home."

Sheppard turned his light back onto the object that he'd noticed soon after entering the room. A raised platform. It was off to one side of the room with a large console on one side and a large glass display panel, like those in Atlantis, on the other side. A large device sat in the centre of the platform.

"Doesn't look like a weapon." remarked Ronon as he approached Sheppard.

"Maybe this is just the power source." replied Sheppard before covering his mouth as another coughing fit overtook him.

"You okay?" asked Ronon.

Sheppard nodded as he took a sip from his water canteen. "Yeah. I don't think that gas was meant to be harmful."

"Could've fooled me."

Sheppard ignored that remark and swung his light onto the consoles. "I think it is a clean room. This place must be 10,000 years old and there is no dust anywhere." He then swung his light back towards the room they'd come from and added "And that, I think, was an airlock."

"And the gas?"

"Probably to remove any germs. This room is probably pressurized to keep out dust but I was too busy coughing to notice any change when the door opened."

"You're starting to sound like McKay."

"Not McKay. I saw it on TV once." Sheppard moved over to the device on the platform and shone his light over the surface. He knew better than to touch anything. Even being this close to an Ancient device could cause problems as he had learned the hard way. He moved away before anything switched on in response to his gene. "Clean rooms are used with sensitive equipment. Let's get McKay."

"What about the gas?" asked Ronon as he moved towards the door they'd come through.

"It only triggers coming in." replied Sheppard stepping back into the airlock. Once Ronon joined him he ran his hand over the sensor and the inner door closed. Moments later the outer door slid open.

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Rodney spotted Sheppard and Ronon exiting from the mountain and jumped to his feet, moving out into the clearing to meet them.

"Rodney!" called Teyla before seeing her team-mates. She caught up with Rodney as he reached the others.

"Can I go in now?" asked Rodney.

Sheppard replied "I guess. I didn't see any alien creatures but it was very dark."

"Very funny. I hope you didn't break anything." replied Rodney as he started toward the entrance.

Ronon wore his customary grin before asking "Are you gonna tell him?"

"Tell me what?" asked Rodney turning back to his friends. "Don't tell me this is another bust. It is isn't it?"

"It's a clean room." announced Sheppard.

"So the Ancient's were tidy." responded Rodney.

"No McKay. It's a _clean_ room." Sheppard smiled as Rodney's expression changed from perplexed to excited.

"Really? A clean room? You're sure?"

"Yes, Rodney." replied Sheppard.

"What is a clean room?" asked Teyla.

"It's a room, usually pressurized to keep dust out and sometimes protected against bacteria. It's used where delicate electronic equipment is constructed. They are also used in medical research." Rodney turned his attention back to Sheppard. "The airlock contained gas didn't it?"

"Yes it did but it's harmless." replied Sheppard

"If you don't breathe deeply." added Ronon as he looked at Sheppard.

"Oh." croaked Rodney.

"I'm fine." stated Sheppard as Teyla took a step forward. "But you might want to cover your nose with something."

Teyla raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Really I'm fine. Now Teyla I want you and Ronon to keep watch out here. Once Rodney and I go into the mountain we will lose radio contact. I want you to patrol the area and keep in contact with Major Williams. I'll come out and check-in with you every thirty minutes."

Teyla nodded her acceptance before Sheppard stepped back into the mountain with Rodney following closely.

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Lt Stevens carried the last of the fallen ceiling out of the Ancient building. The task of securing the stability of the site had taken several days. His team mates were rigging tarpaulins to provide temporary protection from the weather but Stevens suspected that the damage had already been done shortly after the roof had caved in.

He found his commanding officer, Major McPherson overseeing the installation of the makeshift roof. "The last of the debris has been removed, sir."

McPherson turned to the younger man and replied "Good. Start getting the equipment packed up and into the jumper. Once the tarps are in place we'll head back to Atlantis. I'm sure McKay will be itching to get his hands on the rest of this stuff."

"If it still works." remarked Stevens before heading off to complete his tasks.

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Weir was sat in her office sipping on coffee as she read yet another one of the endless reports that came to her when, the stargate activated. She frowned as she looked across at the time on her PC. No-one was due back at the moment. Only three teams were off-world at the moment, including Sheppard's. She joined the technician at the gate controls. "Who is it?" she asked glad that she'd managed to keep the anxiety from her voice.

"Major McPherson." replied Chuck.

Weir touched her radio. "Major, do you have an update for me?"

"Dr Weir, yes I do. We have secured the site and are coming home."

Weir nodded for the shield to be lowered. "Good work, Major. Come on through to my office to debrief. Weir out."

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Sheppard dropped his jacket from his face as he stepped back into the equipment room. Rodney followed him in. "That spray was disgusting. The Ancients must have used clean suits so that didn't have to breathe that stuff in. How did you handle it the first time?"

"Not talking so much helped." replied Sheppard.

"Very funny." responded Rodney. He stopped in his tracks as he noticed the size of the room and the equipment. "Oh my. You never said it was humongous. This…this could take a while." He quickly stepped over to the console next to the platform and set up a large torch before lifting his laptop from his backpack. "Now let's see what we have here."

Sheppard wandered around the room as Rodney worked. He noticed a gap in the equipment leaving a section of wall bare. His curiosity aroused he moved closer and ran the light over the wall, spotting another door control.

"We have another door control over here, Rodney. I'm just going to check it out."

"You do that." replied Rodney not looking up from his laptop.

Sheppard waved his hand over the door control hoping it wasn't another airlock. The door slid open revealing another room. Sheppard swung his light around but found nothing. No equipment and nothing to indicate its purpose. The room didn't look particularly Ancient to him but then he was no expert. If anything it looked unfinished unless extreme minimalism was their goal. He was about to rejoin McKay when his light caught another door. He swiped his hand over the control crystal. The door slid open halfway and then stopped.

**TBC**

**A/N:** So what's behind door number 3? Can Sheppard be trusted to not get himself hurt when he's in the dark by himself? Can Rodney get his new toy to work? Is a power source or weapon or something else entirely? You can still take a guess if you like and drop a line. Has anyone spotted the clue to where this is going yet? Only time will tell so you better keep reading to find the answer. If anyone guesses right they might win a spot as an original character in this or another story. Either way please leave a review with that little button at the bottom of the page.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having to put up with a broken leg. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

And thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 1****8**

"Take a seat, Major."

Major McPherson sat his tall bulky frame into the chair opposite Weir and waited for her to speak further.

"So Major, I believe you said that the site is secure."

"Yes Ma'am. We've rigged a temporary cover over the building to keep the weather out and removed what remained of the ceiling. We have also rigged support for the walls of the building. Only an earthquake is likely to cause further damage."

"That is good to hear. Could you tell how much of the equipment survived?"

"Not really, ma'am. The equipment didn't look dented or broken in anyway but there was a lot of water penetration. We pumped out what we could and with the tarps it should remain dry inside barring a hurricane beyond that I couldn't rightly say."

"Okay. Thank you Major."

Weir tapped her radio as McPherson left her office. "Major Hastwell?"

"Hastwell here." came the reply moments later.

"This is Weir. Please report to my office and bring Zelenka with you. You'll probably find him in the map room."

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Rodney studied the image on his laptop adjusting the settings as he spoke over his shoulder. "This is amazing, Colonel." He turned around when he got no response to find himself alone in the room. "Colonel?" He shrugged his shoulders before returning to his work.

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The gap wasn't wide enough for Sheppard to squeeze through. He shone his torch through the opening to reveal another airlock. This one was less than pristine with a visible layer of dust coating the floor. He saw the reason why when he noticed the outer door was open a crack. He pushed the door open and stepped inside waving his hand over the control. The outer door refused to open any further. Sheppard lowered his weapon and slipped his fingers into the gap and tugged on the door. He grunted with the effort required but finally succeeded in opening the door wide enough for a person to step through. The opening revealed another tunnel. Sheppard raised his weapon and headed into the tunnel.

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Weir looked up as Zelenka followed the tall Major into her office. "Please sit down, Major, Radek." She waited until they were seated before she continued. "Major, I want you to take a science team back to PX3-M37 and bring back the rest of the data crystals. Radek, I want you to oversee the science team and find out as much about the device that Sheppard and his team are checking out."

"You are worried?" asked Radek.

"Let's just say I'm not comfortable with them out of contact for so long. Besides Rodney may need some help with the device."

"He may but he is not likely to admit it." replied Radek.

"That's true." replied Weir with a smile, "How quickly can you get a team ready to leave?"

"An hour, maybe. I will ask Doctors Soong and Salesi to assist." replied Radek.

Weir nodded and looked towards Hastwell.

"My men can have a jumper ready to leave by then, ma'am."

"Good. Thank you gentlemen."

Once she was on her own again she let out a sigh. She had done everything she could do short of sending another team as backup but still she felt anxious about Sheppard. She closed her eyes and tried to empty her mind like Teyla had tried to teach her. But try as she might she kept seeing an image of his face when he had returned from PX3-M37. Dirty and battered. She didn't want to see him injured or worse. Not again. Especially since it was all that seemed to happen to him since he'd arrived in the Pegasus galaxy.

"Elizabeth?" asked Carson as he put a hand on her shoulder "You okay?"

Weir jerked her head up to see Carson standing by her desk.

"Sorry." apologized Carson "Didn't mean to make you jump."

Weir smiled "I'm fine, Carson"

"I've heard that line before from someone else."

"I was miles away."

"Thinking about Sheppard and his team?"

She nodded "What can I do for you?"

"You can take a break and join me for lunch."

Weir looked at the number of emails in her inbox "I'm not sure I have …"

"I insist. Doctor's orders."

"Well… in that case, lead the way" replied Weir leaving the office alongside Beckett.

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Sheppard reached the end of the tunnel and peered outside. The ground was level for a short distance before dropping off into a deep valley thick with trees. On the other side of the valley more mountains rose into the sky. He checked his watch before tapping his radio.

"Ronon, Teyla?"

"Colonel." acknowledged Teyla.

"There is a second tunnel into the mountain around to the right of the first one. It overlooks the valley we saw on the way in." stated Sheppard as he around a bush and out into the sunshine.

"I'm on it." interrupted Ronon.

Looking back towards the tunnel he noticed that it was partially obscured by overgrown bushes. "I'll leave a marker. Any word from Williams?" asked Sheppard as he gathered some rocks lying near the entrance and fashioned an arrow to help identify the tunnel for Ronon.

"He has not reported in yet." replied Teyla.

"Okay. When he does, if he hasn't found anything else worth checking out then I want him to bring the other scientist back here. This thing is huge. I think Rodney might need a hand."

"I will pass the message on, Colonel." replied Teyla.

"I'll check in again in thirty minutes. Sheppard out."

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Sheppard found Rodney, with his back to the doorway, bent over the Ancient device on the raised platform. His attention focused on the laptop screen in front of him.

"Don't suppose you've found out how to turn the lights on yet?" asked Sheppard.

"Geez." cried Rodney as he jerked upright nearly knocking the laptop to the ground, "Why do you have to sneak up on people? Can't you just save it for the enemy? You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Sheppard rolled his eyes before replying "I wasn't sneaking around."

"Yes you were." replied Rodney as he moved his laptop to a more secure location and returned his attention to the device before him.

Sheppard decided to ignore Rodney's last remark, instead choosing to change the subject. "There's another tunnel back there leading out of the mountain."

"Ah hmm." replied Rodney his attention elsewhere.

Sheppard moved over to stand next to Rodney as he continued, "I've asked Teyla to tell Williams to bring Dr Johnson back here to give you a hand. Maybe he can get the lights turned on."

"I'm working on it, Sheppard." replied Rodney impatiently before finally pushing a button on the console. "Ah. There we go." he announced expectantly and a few moments later the lights came on revealing the ancient machine and all the surrounding equipment. Rodney looked up and saw the size of the room properly for the first time and the volume of equipment that filled it. "This could definitely take a while".

"That's why I want Dr Johnson to give you a hand Rodney. We need to establish whether this is a power source or weapon and whether we can use it to defend Atlantis. If we can then we'll organize a full scientific team to come back with you in charge."

"So let's get started." replied Rodney as he moved over to the outer wall where there were a number of panels. Rodney started to undo the screws holding a cover in place as he called over his shoulder, "Help me get the covers off."

Rodney handed Sheppard a screwdriver as he joined him. Sheppard watched what Rodney was doing for a moment before he started copying Rodney's actions on the cover in front of him.

"Now don't touch anything unless I tell you to." warned Rodney glancing over to check on Sheppard's progress.

Removal of the panels revealed a series of crystals of different sizes and colours sat in trays. The trays were connected by bundles of glass-like fibres. Rodney fetched his laptop and connected a clip to one of the bundles and watched the results on his laptop. "There is no power getting through."

"Are you sure that this thing has any power left?"

"Yes I'm sure otherwise, Colonel, we'd be in the dark and that airlock wouldn't have tried to gas us. It just isn't getting through to the device. There must be a damaged connection."

Rodney studied his laptop screen and then pointed to the cover to his left, "Start removing those covers for me while I check these connections. This could take a few hours."

"Great" sighed Sheppard as he moved to the cover indicated by Rodney and started to undo the screws.

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Sargeant Castello landed the jumper in the clearing outside of the Ancient settlement on PX3-M37 under the watchful eye of his commanding officer, Major Hastwell.

"Nice landing, Sargent." commented Hastwell as he stood up and turned towards the scientists sat on the benches in the back of the jumper. "Right gentlemen and lady. I want everyone to stay with the group. No wandering off to look at interesting artefacts. The building we are interested in has been secured by the engineers but the others around it may not be safe. I do not want to take anyone back to Atlantis injured because their curiosity got the better of them. Now let's go get those data crystals for Doctor McKay."

Hastwell moved through the rear compartment, followed by his Sargeant and two other young soldiers. They readied their weapons as Hastwell opened the hatch and stepped outside into the late afternoon sun.

"Who does he think he is?" queried Doctor Soong as she pulled her backpack onto her shoulders.

Zelenka pushed his glasses back up his nose and looked over at her. "He is the man keeping us safe."

"But what can happen?" asked Doctor Salesi "There are no Wraith here"

"The Wraith are not the only things that kill in the Pegasus galaxy." remarked Zelenka as he followed the Major's men into the settlement.

Doctor Soong stared after his departing back wondering what she had gotten herself into volunteering for the Atlantis project. Salesi tapped her on the arm getting her attention, "Come on Li. We don't want to get into trouble on our first off-world mission."

She gave him a smile as she started after the others. "I sure don't if Dr McKay's rants are anything to go by."

They caught up with the others and followed them through the settlement.

"This is fantastic." remarked Salesi as he looked around at the Ancient buildings on either side. "The Ancients sure had their own style."

A few moments later they stood in front of the building housing the data crystals.

"Are you sure it's safe?" asked Doctor Soong eyeing the scaffolding that almost hid the structure from view.

Major Hastwell turned at her question, noticing the worried expression on her face and replied, "Major McPherson's men are the best in the business. I doubt that anything short of C4 will bring this building down now."

Salesi glanced over at her and noticed that she didn't look like she believed the Major. "If you say it's safe Major then I believe you. Come on let's take a look at this device."

Salesi stepped into the building closely followed by Soong and Zelenka. They quickly found the room holding the device. Soong stopped when she noticed a dark reddish brown stain on the floor to one side. "Is that blood?"

Zelenka glanced over to where she was pointing and replied "Colonel Sheppard was injured when the ceiling collapsed. It is most likely his. Now let us remove these crystals."

Zelenka moved over to the bank of drawers in the wall. He pulled on the handle of the first one until the unit slid out from the wall. "Give me a hand." Salesi stepped forward and helped Zelenka lower the case to the floor. Zelenka opened the unit and checked that the crystals were undamaged inside.

"Are they in one piece?" asked Soong pulling herself away from the bloodstain.

"It appears so. Major I could use the help of your men to carry these containers back to the jumper. It will require a number of trips."

"Sargeant, give Doctor Zelenka a hand."

**TBC**

**A/N:** So far so good for Sheppard & McKay but we all know that it can't last, not with an Ancient device in the same room. Will Elizabeth's worries come to fruition? And will Zelenka find anything in the database that can help McKay? I can _definitely_ smell the whump coming. But what is the cause? I'm not saying, why spoil the fun? You can take a guess if you like and drop a line. Or have a guess at the overall story. No-one has guessed correctly, so there is still time to make a winning guess. The prize is a spot as an original character in this or another story. Either way please leave a review with that little button at the bottom of the page. I'd love to hear from those who've put this story on their alert list and have not yet submitted a review. Don't be shy, I don't bite.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having to put up with a broken leg. Any mistakes here are purely my own. And if you haven't seen it yet, go to her website .com and check out her newly published book **Second Chances**.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

And thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 19**

Rodney sat back and reached into his Tac-vest pulling out a power bar. He ripped the wrapper open and bit off a large portion. He had spent the last thirty minutes crawling around on his hands and knees checking all the connections along the power conduit and had finally located a loose connection. He had just finished re-connecting it when he realized he hadn't eaten anything since leaving the moon a few hours ago. For most people the gap between meals wouldn't be an issue but for Rodney it could be dangerous. If his blood sugar dropped too low he would become dizzy and pass out. Leave it long enough without food or treatment and he could die. To avoid this he made sure he packed plenty of power bars into his pockets and ate regularly much to the amusement of those who did not know about his condition.

"Do you know what it is yet?" asked Sheppard as he stepped up onto the raised platform and looked over the device.

"Not yet." replied Rodney as he took another large mouthful chewing on it as he continued, "I hope you're not touching anything up there."

"Of course not and don't talk with your mouth full." replied Sheppard turning to look at the glass panel. The glass had a faint glow but nothing was displayed.

Rodney finished his snack and pushed himself back to his feet making his way over to the device on the platform. "This device is unlike anything else I've seen. There seems to be a void inside this unit but I've no idea what its purpose is."

"Didn't you say that there was a power source here?"

"I did but that doesn't explain the void." replied Rodney as he studied the controls on the panel before him.

"Maybe we should wait until we can get the rest of the data about this device."

"Don't worry, Colonel. I know what I'm doing."

"I hope so, Rodney."

Rodney glanced over at Sheppard. The large glass panel standing behind him suddenly lit up showing some kind of graph. "I think it just switched on. Now let's see what we have here." Rodney adjusted the settings and watched as the graph displayed on the panel changed.

Sheppard turned to watch the display. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure. I think it's a graph of energy fluctuations."

"A diagnostic?"

"Probably. Now stop talking and let me work."

Rodney continued to adjust the settings on the device, monitoring the results on the display panel as well as those on his laptop. He was engrossed in his work and had forgotten that Sheppard was still present.

Sheppard was the first to feel the vibrations through the floor. "Rodney, what's happening? Why is the floor shaking?"

"It's under control. The device is just drawing more power."

"To do what exactly?" asked Sheppard as he looked at the equipment surrounding him.

"I'm still working on that."

"Work quicker."

"Not helpful, Colonel."

Sheppard paced around the platform as Rodney continued to work. He knew Rodney was working as fast as he could and that he was their best hope for finding Ancient technology that could be used against the Wraith. Maybe they should have brought more scientists with them but he hadn't wanted to risk any more people than necessary until he knew whether they had something worthwhile to look at. They had already suffered several losses amongst the scientists lately with the increased Wraith activity and they couldn't afford to lose any more.

"Figured out what it does yet?" asks Sheppard turning his attention back to Rodney crouched on the floor.

"Give me a break." retorted Rodney.

"Defensive." replied Sheppard in his usual laconic drawl.

"Only when people expect instant answers."

Rodney stood and pushed a button on the machine before turning to watch the results on his computer screen. The machine started to hum at a low frequency almost below human hearing. Almost.

"Well whatever it is it sounds like it's not running a diagnostic anymore. Hopefully it isn't a weapon"

"I thought you'd prefer if it was." remarked Rodney looking as his laptop. "This can't be right"

"What can't?" asked Sheppard peering over Rodney's shoulder.

Rodney didn't answer. He quickly worked on his computer and the machine as the vibrations intensified.

"Rodney, talk to me." demanded Sheppard.

"The machine is generating an enormous amount of energy."

"Is it a weapon?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

Sheppard shot him an exasperated look before saying "Shut it down just in case. We have a jumper in the air."

"I'm trying to." replied Rodney as he rapidly tapped on the laptop.

"Try harder."

Sheppard made a decision and ran through the other room and out into the tunnel. He was hoping that once outside he would be able to raise the jumper and warn them to land until Rodney could shut the device down.

The shaking could be felt within the tunnel, making dust fall from the ceiling as he ran. He couldn't be sure but he thought that the shaking was getting worse. He reached the entrance and stepped outside into the sunshine, tapping his radio as he did so. "Major Williams, this is Sheppard. Can you hear me?"

He received no reply. Obviously Williams was still too far away for his radio signal or the device was generating interference. "Teyla, Ronon?"

"Sheppard." acknowledged Ronon.

"Where are you?"

"Not far from the second tunnel entrance, why?"

"I need you to go back to the jumper and contact Williams. Tell him he has to land immediately. McKay has triggered this device and he can't shut it down."

"It's a weapon?"

"He doesn't know. I don't want to take any chances."

"I'm on it."

"And warn Teyla to stay away from the cave entrance. All this shaking could do some damage."

"Will do. What are you going to do?" replied Ronon.

"See if I can help McKay shut the device down one way or another."

Sheppard wasted no time and ran back into the tunnel confident that Ronon would make short work of the distance back to the jumper. His running skills had been developed over the years in his fight for survival against the Wraith and he could easily outrun Sheppard especially across terrain like the terrain they had covered on this planet.

Sheppard found it harder going on the return journey as the shaking increased causing parts of the tunnel to collapse. Dust rained down constantly followed by the occasionally rock. Sheppard ducked out of the way as a larger stone tumbled from the ceiling missing him by inches. It was no longer safe to be in the mountain. If they couldn't shut the device down they would have to leave it until it shut down by itself or blew up, hopefully not taking them with it.

Sheppard saw the support beam dislodge from the roof and dodged to one side to avoid it. He grunted as the beam collided with his left shoulder and knocked him the ground. He lay there for a moment, surprised that he was still alive before remembering Rodney and the device. He tried to push himself to his feet with his left arm and nearly cried out at the pain from his shoulder. He breathed through the pain as he rose and steadied himself using his right hand against the tunnel wall.

He had no time to worry about himself. He had to get back to Rodney and get the device shut down before it shook the mountain to pieces or did whatever it was that it was designed to do. He doubted very much that the Ancients had hidden a benevolent device deep within a mountain far away from their nearest output. The shaking intensified and another beam crashed down not far behind him reminding him of the urgency. He dashed forward ignoring the pain and made his way back to the cavern. He noticed that Rodney was typing frantically on his computer and looked very worried.

"This thing is shaking this place to pieces. The tunnel has partially collapsed. Any luck with the device?"

"Still working on it." replied Rodney without looking up.

"Work faster."

"Oh that helps." retorted Rodney.

Sheppard glared at Rodney. The shaking grew worse causing Sheppard to stumble. He caught his balance and made his way over to the other exit. "Why don't you just cut the power cable?"

"Because that might trigger the device."

"Right." replied Sheppard as he opened the airlock door.

"What are you doing?" asked Rodney glancing across at Sheppard.

"Making sure that we still have another exit in case we need it." replied Sheppard as he found something to wedge the door open. He glanced over his right shoulder and noticed that Rodney had paused in his tapping, "Rodney, the device!"

Rodney returned his attention back to the device. Sheppard clenched his teeth as he tried to open the out airlock door with just one working arm. The door refused to move. He forced himself to use his left arm despite the pain. If they didn't have a clear path out of the mountain then they were both dead. He managed to get his left hand onto the door and put his whole weight behind it. Beads of sweat formed on his brow at the effort. Just as he thought he might collapse he felt the door shift slightly. He renewed his efforts and was rewarded by the door slowly sliding open part way before it refused to go any further. It wasn't much but it was enough. He shone the light from his P-90 down the tunnel and noted that it looked clear as far as he could see. He turned back towards Rodney and had barely taken two steps when he heard a deep rumbling from behind him.

Rodney looked up at the sound of the entrance tunnel collapsing sending a thick cloud of dust flying into the cavern that quickly enveloped Sheppard. "We're so screwed." exclaimed Rodney the horror at being buried alive written on his face.

"Yes we are if you don't shut this thing down now". replied Sheppard still coughing as he emerged from the settling cloud of dust like a ghost.

Rodney nodded in reply and turned his attention back to the device before him. Sheppard moved over to the device and did likewise on the other side of the device hoping to find anything that resembled an off switch. He was even trying to think the device into switching off, hoping that the device had a neural interface like the jumpers. But nothing happened. He silently cursed the Ancients for leaving damn dangerous devices scattered throughout the galaxy without so much as a "Keep Out Dangerous Device" sign anywhere in sight.

The shaking grew worse and it was almost impossible to stand upright. Rodney suddenly ducked beneath the device and blurted "Control crystals, look for the control crystals. If we can find and remove them it should cut the power."

Sheppard looked for any panels on his side of the device that would open. He held on to the device with his left hand to keep from falling as the shaking continued to worsen, clenching his jaw at the pain that doing so sent through his left shoulder. A piece of the ceiling separated and crashed to the ground narrowly missing Sheppard. His attention focused on his task, he didn't notice the small white light that formed in the air suspended over the device until Rodney popped his head up from under the device, a frightened look on his face. Sheppard looked up noticing the light, "That's not good. McKay!"

McKay stumbled to the panels on the wall and started to open each one looking for the crystals. The white light continued to expand in size. "Whatever it is, it's getting bigger." warned Sheppard as he continued to search the device.

Rodney turned in time to see the light shrink slightly before it exploded with a surge of energy and sound, expanding rapidly to fill the room with a painfully brilliant white light. The concussion wave flung Sheppard backwards, through the glass viewing screen and into the wall panel. His head snapped back against the panel and his world dissolved into darkness as his body fell to the floor. Rodney felt his body pushed against the panel for a moment before the wave passed. He shook his head to clear it and rubbed at his eyes saying, "I …I can't see…I'm blind."

His breathing increased. The room was very quiet. The vibrations had ceased.

"Oh god… I'm so screwed."

He remembered hearing the tunnel collapsing and Sheppard's remark.

"Oh god. Sheppard?"

He waited for a response but none came.

"Sheppard?"

But still no answer came and Rodney realized that he alone was conscious.

Maybe the only one alive.

He wanted to sob. But he didn't. He couldn't. Not yet.

He was close to hyperventilating at the thought that he was blind and alone.

_No. Sheppard is here. _

_Somewhere. _

_Must find Sheppard._

**TBC**

**A/N:** Aren't I cruel, leaving the boys in trouble? Will Rodney regain his sight? Will he and Sheppard get out of the mountain alive? Did Ronon make it to the jumper in time to warn Major Williams and his team? Will we find out what the machine was designed to do? Time is running out to make a guess. So drop a line with you best guess. If anyone guesses right they might win a spot as an original character in this or another story. Either way please leave a review with that little button at the bottom of the page.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

And thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 20**

Teyla watched the cave entrance as the ground vibrated. Ronon had radioed to warn her to keep clear in case any rocks dislodged from the cliff face above the entrance. She wanted to run inside and make sure that Sheppard and McKay got out safely but she also understood why she must not. To risk too many of the team could spell disaster. With two of them on the outside help could be rendered if needed. She would wait. It would not be easy. It never was, but she would do as Sheppard asked.

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Ronon could see the clearing ahead and triggered the remote, de-cloaking the jumper without breaking his stride. He ran up the ramp and made his way quickly to the front of the jumper. They all knew how to operate the radio. Sheppard had made sure of that. Normally it wouldn't work for those without the ATA gene but Rodney had taken care of that. Now any Atlantis team member could operate it with an access code.

Ronon entered his code and was rewarded with a green light on the console indicating that the radio was now operational.

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Ronon cloaked the jumper again before starting his run back to the mountain. He took the route they'd all taken earlier that day. He was nearly half-way when the ground shook violently. He stumbled but managed to save himself and increased his speed. He tapped his radio. "What's happening, Teyla?" asked Ronon as he ran, barely breathing hard.

"I do not know. They are still inside. I do not think the tunnel will survive this shaking."

"Stay where you are. I'm almost there."

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Ronon arrived by Teyla's side moments before he heard a loud crack emanating from the mountain. They both spun around towards the direction of the sound in time to see one side of the cave entrance collapse in on itself sending a cloud of dust into the air.

"They may be trapped and injured. I will contact the others."

Ronon nodded and moved towards the cave pausing when he felt Teyla's hand on his arm. "Be careful, Ronon."

"Don't worry." replied Ronon.

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Teyla found the radio still active from Ronon's use earlier. She sat in the pilot seat and pushed the transmit button. "Major Williams?"

"Major Williams here. What's happening?"

"We need you and your team back here now. Part of the mountain may have collapsed with Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay inside. Ronon has gone to check."

"Roger that. We are approximately … an hour from your current location. We'll try to get there faster if we can."

"Thank you Major. You will find a path from the jumper to the mountain entrance. I will be there with Ronon."

"Understood. Williams out."

Teyla grabbed the first aid kit and a couple of torches before heading back towards the mountain as fast as she could.

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Major McPherson organized for two of his team to help carry the containers out to the jumper.

"Are we taking just the crystals?" asked Doctor Soong.

Zelenka looked up from the container that he was pulling out of its housing to see her stood by the console examining its surface. "That is all we need."

"So no checking out the rest of the device? What if it is more than just a database?"

Zelenka stood up as the soldiers carried out the container he had just removed. "It is possible." he admitted as he joined her by the console. "But it requires someone with the gene to operate and the only one here with the gene is Sargeant Castello."

"He will help." replied Soong confidently as she moved outside to find Castello. She found him keeping a watchful eye as the container was transported to the jumper. She gave him her best smile as she approached casually. "Sargeant Castello, I have a small favour to ask."

Castello returned her smile. "And what would that be, ma'am?" he asked.

"Well, you can start by calling me Li. I don't feel old enough to be a ma'am yet."

He chuckled at her comment. "Okay. So what's this favour, Li?"

"I need you to switch the Ancient device on."

"So you only want me for my gene?" asked Castello with a smirk.

Soong felt the warmth rise to her cheeks at the apparent challenge for her to admit that she had a crush on him. "Well, let's start with your gene." replied Soong deciding that two could play this game. She headed back towards the building smiling as she heard his footsteps following in her wake.

Castello followed Soong, smiling to himself as he enjoyed the view he had from behind her. He remembered back to the day only a few weeks back when she had arrived on the Daedelus with a group of new scientists and two groups of soldiers. He'd been there to greet the soldiers and get them settled into their new quarters before being addressed by Colonel Sheppard and Major Lorne. The scientists were the first group beamed down into the control room and she was stood at the front of the group. He could see the excitement and trepidation at being on Atlantis written on her face and felt drawn to her. Maybe it was the long black hair. He'd always had a thing for women with long hair. Or maybe it was the innocent look in her eyes. Eyes that hadn't yet seen the horrors of the Pegasus Galaxy like he had over the last twelve months. He decided that he would do anything he could in the hope that she could keep that innocence.

Soong was disappointed to find that only half of the data crystal containers remained. Once they were all removed and loaded into the jumper she doubted that she would be allowed to continue her investigations with the console. She turned to find Castello very close to her, his eyes lifting up to meet her eyes. She noticed that he at least had the decency to look slightly embarrassed at being caught watching her derriere.

"According to Doctor McKay's report, he removed a tactile interface from this console and he removed the control crystal."

"Then how will I turn the device on?" asked Castello.

"I think that this device may have a second control crystal. A mirror of the first. We use the same concept in computer equipment on Earth. It reduces the probability of failures if there is two of everything." Soong moved to the console on the left. "Put your hand here." She saw him hesitate. "It won't bite." added Soong as she took his hand in hers and placed it on the slightly raised panel. "See. Perfectly safe. Now switch it on for me. Please." She left her hand covering his and gave him a smile.

Castello returned her smile and tried to focus his thoughts on the device. Soong waited, expecting the device to switch on but nothing happened. She moved her attention back to that laptop that she had connected to the console and checked the power readings. "The power is definitely getting through. Are you sure you're concentrating?"

"Um…yeah… I'm concentrating."

Soong studied him and noticed him swallowing nervously, "You're supposed to be concentrating on the machine."

"Sorry." replied Castello.

"Close your eyes. It might help."

Castello closed his eyes and concentrated his thoughts into turning the device on. He felt a response through his hands. "It's working. I can feel it."

"Good the energy levels are rising. Keep concentrating."

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Zelenka and Salesi continued to remove the data crystal containers. Only a few remained when Salesi glanced across to where Soong and Castello worked on the device. He saw how close they stood and the smiles that they kept exchanging and shook his head as he returned to his task. "I don't believe it. I'm doing manual labour and she's boyfriend hunting."

Zelenka looked over his shoulder and saw what he meant. "Oh."

"Oh no, what's happening?"

"It is the holographic interface. Oh my."

"I don't get it. Why does it look like her? I mean it's 10,000 years old. How…"

"Neural interface." replied Zelenka. "Nice outfit."

"Ohhh. Now I get it."

Soong looked up from her laptop to see her holographic reflection. Or at least she thought it was her reflection. "Why am I wearing a bikini?"

"I…um…I don't know." replied Castello.

"He's in trouble." stated Zelenka as he watched Castello's ears redden.

"He should be grateful that he didn't see her skinny-dipping on the mainland last week. Then he'd really be in trouble."

"Yes he would." replied Zelenka. He wondered why the machine had plucked the image of Soong from Castello's mind. _Why her and not anyone else that he knows? Is it because she is right there beside him?_ _Then why did the machine generate an image of Weir when Sheppard used it. Weir wasn't anywhere near Sheppard at the time. Maybe it is designed to pick a female image._ _No…iIt can not be true._ _Does Sheppard feel the same way about Weir?_

Zelenka dragged his mind away from his thoughts about the holograph and its meaning and turned his attention back to the task at hand. "Let us finish removing these."

Shortly later they had all of the data crystals loaded onto the jumper ready for the return journey to Atlantis. Zelenka found Soong still working on the Ancient device. The smiles that she had displayed earlier were now absent even though Castello was still with her as was the holographic image.

"We have finished loading the data crystals." announced Zelenka. "We should leave unless you have found something more."

Soong stopped what she was doing. "You can shut it down, Miguel. I think McKay was right. It's just a database."

"I would not tell McKay that. It will only make his head bigger."

Soong gave Zelenka a warning look "I have no intentions of mentioning any of this to Dr McKay" She swung her attention to Castello and added, "and neither will anyone else."

"My lips are sealed." he promised, taking one more look at the shapely bikini-clad hologram before sighing and shutting it down.

Zelenka nodded his agreement, reluctantly, and headed out towards the jumper smiling. _Salesi is right._ _And I think she has found her willing prey._

**TBC**

**A/N:** Sorry. Well not really. I just couldn't resist leaving everyone hanging, waiting to see whether the boys make it out of the trouble they are in. For being so cruel I will make it up to everyone in the up-coming chapters with some extra whump. Now who shall be on the receiving end this time? Let me think, Eenie, meenie, minie.... Oh so not telling...yet. Anyways, enough of that frivolity. Please drop a line with your comments or your best guess on where this is going. If anyone guesses right they might win a spot as an original character in this or another story.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

And thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 21**

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Weir entered the jumper bay as the jumper's engines shut down. She folded her arms across her chest as she waited for the team to exit the craft. Moments later the hatch lowered and Zelenka appeared in the doorway. He noticed Weir and approached her.

"How did it go, Radek?"

"We have successfully removed all of the data crystals on PX3-M37." replied Zelenka.

"Were any of them damaged?" asked Weir as the two Corporals carried the first of the containers out of the jumper on their way to the map room.

"It does not appear so but I will only know for sure when they are patched into Atlantis. Have you received word from Colonel Sheppard?"

"No, not yet." replied Weir.

"Let me know as soon as you have more information on the device that McKay's investigating." continued Weir as she turned to leave the jumper bay.

Zelenka watched her go, thinking back to his suspicion that Sheppard cared for Weir more than he should. Maybe Weir felt the same way. _It is none of my business._ He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Salesi walked down the ramp and joined him, "Major Williams is organizing some extra help to ferry these containers to the map room."

"Good" replied Zelenka, "Dr Weir wants answers quickly."

Moments later Soong exited the jumper walking beside Castello laughing at something he'd said. Zelenka noticed that Salesi was watching the pair as Castello leaned towards Soong and said something that Zelenka could not hear. Soong's eyes widened and she replied "I'd love too. What time?"

They continued to walk away together as Castello checked his watch and replied, "I'll pick you up at seven."

"She didn't waste any time." stated Salesi as he eyes followed Soong as she left the jumper bay.

Zelenka looked across at Salesi, his eyebrows raised, "Are you jealous?"

"No. Of course not." denied Salesi quickly.

"You _are_ jealous." countered Zelenka, "Why do you not ask her out?"

Salesi drew his eyes away from the now empty doorway, "Because she prefers a man in uniform. They all do." he replied not hiding his bitterness anymore. "Just look at how many women fawn over Colonel Sheppard like he's the only available male on the base."

_Is he still available?_ Zelenka asked himself, _I am not so sure._

"I still think you should ask her. What do you have to lose?" asked Zelenka.

Salesi's shoulders sagged, "Our friendship. No, she has made her choice blatantly obvious."

Salesi headed out from the jumper bay with Zelenka following him, shaking his head and muttering in Czech under his breath, "Opravdu ji miluje."

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Lorne perched himself on the infirmary bed, still in his scrubs, waiting for Beckett to give him his final check-up. He was expecting to be released today and get back to the pile of paperwork waiting for his attention. He looked up from the floor when he heard footsteps approaching to see Beckett.

"Well. Can I go, doc?" asked Lorne.

"You're as bad as the Colonel." stated Beckett as he shone his penlight into Lorne's eyes watching the response of his pupils.

"Nothing personal, doc. It's just not good having the CO and the 2IC both absent at the same time."

Carson smiled, "Well, now it's only down one military leader. Light duties only mind or I'll have you back in that bed before you know it. Your ribs still need to heal."

Lorne spotted Weir approaching his bed and greeted her, "Dr. Weir."

Weir smiled, "Major, Carson. How is he?"

"Well enough to be released to light duties."

"Good. The Daedalus is due to arrive tomorrow with a new batch of marines." stated Weir.

"Taken care of. Any word from the Colonel, ma'am?" asked Lorne.

"No, not yet. Zelenka has just come back from PX3-M37 with the other data crystals. Hopefully we'll learn some more about the device they are investigating soon."

"Are you still concerned about them?" asked Beckett.

Lorne looked from Beckett to Weir noticing how tired she looked with shadows below her eyes.

"We know so little about that device and they are 3 hours from the nearest Stargate."

"I could send another team." offered Lorne.

Weir realised that the depth of her worry was becoming noticeable to those around her. The rumours that already abounded about Sheppard's relationships with the women of Atlantis would heat up dramatically if anyone suspected how she really felt about him. She sighed and shook her head, "No, not yet. We'll wait and see whether Zelenka finds something."

"If you change your mind, ma'am, just say the word and I can have a team ready within the hour."

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Ronon cleared the fallen rocks to one side as he moved deeper into the tunnel. His clothes were covered in the dust that continued to drift down from the roof. _At least the rocks have stopped falling_.

He could see the smooth surface of the airlock door standing open on the far side of the last remaining rubble pile, through a gap too small for him to climb through. Sweat gathered on his forehead and slid down his face leaning rivers of relatively clean skin amongst the grime that coated his skin and hair.

He grunted as his muscles strained to lift another boulder, dropping it onto the pile to his left. The gap was wider now but still too small for his large frame. "Sheppard? McKay?" called Ronon, waiting for an answer but none came. He increased his pace when he heard a noise from behind him.

He spun around with his blaster raised, ready to shoot. A light bounced up and down as its owner moved towards him. Gradually he could make out the shape of the owner and realised that it was Teyla and relaxed his stance, dropping his weapon to his side.

"Major Williams and his team are safe. They will be here in an hour. Have you been able to contact the Colonel?" Teyla asked.

"No." replied Ronon, "I've called out to them but I don't think they can hear me and the radios don't work in here."

Teyla could see that Ronon was concerned even though he would never admit it. She had seen the bond develop between Colonel Sheppard and Ronon over his time on Atlantis and knew he would take it hard if Sheppard was dead. She knew he would not be the only one.

"We will find them." asserted Teyla trying to convey a confidence that she did not feel.

Ronon nodded his head, turning back to his work with renewed vigour, pulling the rocks away as quickly as he could until he had a gap large enough for them both to climb through.

They found both airlock doors wide open and quickly passed through finding themselves in the room with the Ancient device.

"Where are they?" asked Teyla as she looked around the room for the first time.

Ronon spotted the other door and headed for it. "They must be through here."

Teyla followed him as he moved into the second room, only to find the room empty. She noticed the second airlock door. Ronon saw it as well, "Let's check it out."

Minutes later they were back in the equipment room. Teyla moved around the room looking for anything that would give them a clue as to what had happened. "They can not just disappear." stated Teyla.

She noticed the shattered glass scattered across the floor. "Was this broken before?"

Ronon looked across to where Teyla was pointing and saw the broken panel. "No. It wasn't."

Teyla noticed a dark stain on the wall above the broken glass. She stepped closer and tested the spot with her finger noticing that it was still damp. Her finger came away with a red smudge. "It is blood and it is still wet. I will take a sample and then we must contact Atlantis for help."

Teyla stood her torch on the floor next to the broken glass and used the supplies from the First Aid kit to collect a sample of the blood, placing it carefully in a plastic bag once she was done. She turned back towards Ronon, "Major Williams should be here soon. We should go to meet him."

Ronon nodded and followed Teyla back into the tunnel.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no! What has happened to our favourite boys? Are they lost to Atlantis forever? How will Weir react when she hears the news? How could she be so cruel to write two chapters without our favourite characters? I told you I'm cruel. Besides we wouldn't want things to be too easy for them now would we? If you want more then you know what to do. Just push that little button at the bottom of the screen and leave a review. The challenge is still open but closing soon. Will anyone win the prize? Keep reading to find out. Oh and there will be whump! For the characters, silly, not the winner.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 22**

Major Williams landed the jumper close to Sheppard's jumper and shut it down. He grabbed his P-90, clipping it to his vest as the rest of his team geared up.

"Dr. Johnson, stay in the middle of the group until we know what we have here. I'll take point. Lucas you take our six. Let's head out."

His men followed him down the ramp, eyes alert for danger. They had only covered a short distance when Williams tapped his radio, without breaking his stride, as he heard Teyla's voice in his ear. "Major Williams here."

"The Colonel and Dr. McKay are not to be found." announced Teyla.

Williams stopped in his tracks at the news. "Are you saying that they just disappeared?"

"Yes, Major. That is precisely what I am saying. Ronon and I are on our way back to the jumper. We will meet you there in a few minutes."

"Roger that. Williams out." replied Williams turning round to face his team. "Slight change of plan. Head back to the jumpers. Lucas you have point."

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"We must contact Atlantis." stated Teyla.

Ronon stood by her side, a grim expression on his face. Major Williams nodded his head in agreement with Teyla, "Dr Weir will want a full report on what happened."

"I will come with you." replied Teyla.

Ronon folded his arms across his broad chest as he listened to the exchange, "I'm staying."

Teyla glanced across at him and saw the look of determination on his face. "I agree." she replied understanding that his loyalty to Sheppard would not allow him to just leave. Not yet.

"You think the device had something to do with their disappearance?" asked Williams, his voice bringing Teyla's attention back to him.

"It is likely." replied Teyla.

"Okay. Dr Johnson I want you to stay as well. Go with Dex and start checking out that device. See what you can find out. Lucas, I want you and Jones to stay as well. Do as Dex says. Ms Emmagan and I will report back to Atlantis and bring back help."

Teyla glanced back at Ronon, "Be careful."

He acknowledged her with a nod, watching as she turned and followed Williams into the Jumper. He didn't wait to see the jumper leave. Instead he turned back towards the mountain and announced. "Let's go."

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Dr Johnson stood before the tunnel entrance while Ronon spoke with Lucas and Jones. He wasn't so sure that it was a good idea to go into a tunnel that had partially collapsed. It would take Williams three hours to get back to Atlantis and another three hours to return, add another hour or two to get a rescue party organised and it would be at least 8 hours before anyone would know if the tunnel had collapsed on them. He shuddered at the thought just as a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"Let's move, doc." stated Ronon as he stepped into the tunnel leaving Johnson no choice but to follow.

He looked at the tunnel ceiling as he took his first steps into the darkness, as if he expected to see movement.

"It's safe."

Johnson nearly jumped at the sound of Ronon's deep voice, dragging his eyes from the ceiling, "Just checking."

Ronon didn't smile. He was impatient. He wanted to get back to the Ancient device. Maybe McKay had figured out a way to reverse whatever the device had done. He turned back and continued down the tunnel lost in his thoughts.

They quickly reached the open doors of the airlock and stepped through. Nothing had changed from the last time Ronon was stood in this room. The lights were still on and the room was still empty of his friends.

Dr Johnson paused in the doorway as he took in the view before him. He had been impressed by the equipment that they had found on the moon but he could see that this was much more extensive. "Wow. This could take a while." announced Johnson, not realising that he was echoing McKay's earlier words.

"Just get started." stated Ronon.

"Yes. Of course." replied Johnson, refocusing on the task. He slid his backpack from his shoulders and removed his laptop, setting it up on the nearest console.

Ronon paced the room looking at the Ancient equipment as if it could give him a clue as to what had happened to his friends. He noticed the similarities with the equipment on both the moon and Atlantis but he did not recognise any of it. Glancing across he saw that Johnson was busy, studying the screen of his laptop, his look of concentration similar to McKay's when he was busy with one of his experiments. Despite his many annoying characteristics, Ronon missed the guy. When they had first met, Ronon had thought him weak and a liability; but he'd proven his worth on more than one occasion, showing a bravery that he wouldn't have guessed was there. Sheppard obviously had or he would not have chosen McKay for his team.

He drifted over to the platform looking at the device stood on it. He'd noticed earlier that one of the panels on this device was missing. A sign that McKay had at least inspected the device before disappearing. He stepped up closer and noticed the soft glow from a small screen that lay flush with the surface of the device. Moving closer he noticed writing displayed on the screen. He recognised it as Ancient but could not read it. McKay had definitely been looking at this particular unit. "Johnson, get over here."

Johnson joined him on the platform and noticed the screen. "This looks hopeful." he remarked.

"Can you read it?"

"No but I may be able to translate it. Dr Weir would be better at this than me."

"She's not here." replied Ronon.

Johnson retrieved his laptop and connected it to the device, again mirroring McKay's actions from earlier in the day. He brought up the reference material on his computer and started the task of translating the Ancient text. He quickly immersed himself in his task.

Ronon soon lost interest in watching the scientist work. It was obvious that his task would take time. He could almost hear McKay's whining voice as he complained about the stupidity of the scientists on his team. For his sake he hoped that McKay was wrong in his assessment.

His eyes drifted to the shattered glass strewn across the floor near the wall, spotting the torch to one side that Teyla had left behind. He looked up towards the blood stain. It had now dried. A reminder that one of his friends had hit the wall hard and was most likely hurt and in need of medical help. Maybe both of them were hurt and all he could do was wait. He clenched his fists, wishing for a punching bag to take his frustrations out on. He pulled his attention away from the bloodstain and turned back to the scientist. "Any luck?"

Johnson glanced up at him, "I think this is a log file of sorts. If I'm reading this correctly then the device definitely triggered."

"We knew that already." growled Ronon, his impatience getting the better of him. Maybe McKay was right about his scientists after all. "Sheppard said that McKay was trying to shut the device down in his last transmission. What did this thing do to them?"

"I haven't figured that out yet." Johnson noticed the steely glare that Ronon was giving him and started to feel nervous at being alone with him. "I'm working on it but it could take time."

"They may not have much time." replied Ronon. He knew that the scientist was doing his best, but would it be good enough? He hoped so. He knew it would be hours before anyone would get here from Atlantis to help and by then it could be too late for his friends.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no! She's written another chapter without the boys. What is she trying to do to us? Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about them – I promise - I just wanted to explore the tie between Ronon and our boys. I'm sure that you can empathise with him in his desperation to find his friends. If only Ronon had something to shoot at to relieve his frustration. Please leave a review. Reviews = whump for the characters. Just push that little button at the bottom of the screen. This is your last chance to take up the challenge. Will anyone win the prize? Keep reading to find out.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 23**

Teyla sat in the co-pilot's seat, her eyes unfocussed and unseeing, lost in the thoughts that swirled through her mind. She thought back to the day she had met Sheppard and the events that had followed. The courage he'd shown entering the hive ship to rescue her and the others. He knew little about the Wraith at the time and even less about a Hive ship but still his sense of honour would not allow him to leave anyone behind. She would return him the same honour.

Williams glanced across so see her oblivious to her surroundings. "We'll find them."

She started at the sound of his voice and turned to look at him. He had only been on Atlantis for six months but he seemed capable and she knew Sheppard trusted him. "I hope so, Major."

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Rodney rubbed at his eyes trying to rub away the darkness. He felt helpless in the dark. He still had not heard from Sheppard. The thought that he was the only one still alive scared him. If he remained blind he would be unlikely to find his way out of the mountain let alone back to the jumper. He had to hope that Sheppard was merely unconscious and not dead as he feared. _Think positive, McKay. _That's what Sheppard would say._ Who am I kidding; I've never been Mister Positive in my life. _He heard Sheppard's voice telling him,_ Well now's the time to start. _He turned his head to the side before he realised the voice had just been inside his head. He really was alone. "No, I refuse to give in." declared Rodney to the air around him, stubbornly pushing himself to his hands and knees. Now would not be the time to fall over something. Knowing his luck he'd hit his head on a piece of the Ancient device that he was fast beginning to loathe. _Why did they like to leave these damned dangerous devices lying around and why did I think I can always work out how to operate them without so much as an instruction book? The Pegasus Galaxy really is out to cut me back down to size._ "Well not today!"

He continued to shuffle ahead in the direction he thought the platform was in until his outstretched fingers touched a smooth surface. He used it to steady himself as he stood up. He ran his hand over the surface until he encountered his laptop still sitting where he'd left it. "Fat lot of use that is now." stated Rodney shifting to his left. He circled the device until his feet encountered the platform edge. He moved to step onto the platform when he remembered the sound he had heard when the blast wave had pushed him into the wall. The sound of glass breaking. The only glass he could remember was the glass panel on the far side of the platform. _Did the blast wave break the glass? Maybe, it was definitely strong enough, but maybe just maybe it was something else._ "Sheppard?" called Rodney as he used the platform edge to guide him round the room to where the panel had stood. He felt the glass crunch under his feet and stopped. The panel had shattered. Rodney lowered himself back to his hands and knees and felt his way ignoring the pain as the broken glass cut at his flesh. _Sheppard would be amazed_, thought Rodney.

He swept his hand out to his left and came in contact with something solid. He moved closer to it and succeeded in knocking it over with a clatter. _What is that? _He touched it again, running his hand over the outline until he recognised the shape. It was a torch. He laughed bitterly at the irony._ A torch! What does a blind man need with a torch?_ He still picked up the familiar object, his hand finding the switch automatically. He absently pushed on the button as he made to move again, stopping when he was suddenly blinded by a white light. He put his hand to his head wondering what was happening before his brain kicked in and told him the answer. He wanted to jump for joy. _I'm not blind. It was just the room. The device must've shut down after it triggered._ His elation only lasted for a moment before he remembered his team mate. "Sheppard!"

He swung the torch down, the light reflecting from the hundreds of pieces of broken glass. He scanned the area with the torch until he saw a dark shape, slumped face down against the wall. He hurried over to Sheppard and checked for a pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when he found one. "Oh, thank god. I thought you were dead. How dare you do that to me?"

Sheppard didn't respond. McKay ran the torchlight over his friends' body as he checked him for injuries. Smashing through that panel must have hurt. He found the injury that was the cause of his friend's unconsciousness easily as it was still bleeding and was already forming a nasty lump on the back of Sheppard's skull. "Oh crap. I'm in big trouble."

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"From what I can tell, the device is set to the same settings that McKay had it on but whatever it did it isn't doing it now."

"We don't want to trigger it." growled Ronon his already thin patience stretching thinner.

"I don't think that's likely." replied Dr Johnson, "Something else must have triggered it. So I think we're safe."

Dr Johnson straightened from the laptop and stepped up onto the platform to access the other side of the unit. He stopped in his tracks and looked down at his feet. "Uh, oh."

"What? What did you do?" asked Ronon.

"Uh... nothing. I didn't touch anything." replied Johnson.

"Then why is the ground shaking?" asked Ronon glaring at Johnson, realisation dawning on his face, "That's what it did the first time. I told you not to trigger it. Shut it down."

Dr. Johnson froze. If Rodney hadn't been able to shut it down in time how could he be expected to do any better?

"Now!" snarled Ronon leaning in towards Johnson menacingly.

Johnson jumped back out of Ronon's way and moved back over to his laptop keeping his eyes on Ronon the whole way. He glanced down at the screen and soon forgot all about Ronon and his anger when he saw the readings. "The energy is spiking." stated Johnson as the shaking grew worse. "I can cut the power."

"McKay couldn't. What makes you think you can?" asked Ronon.

"I'm not McKay." replied Johnson as he tried to locate the power source.

"You don't say." remarked Ronon staggering to one side as the shaking was making it difficult to remain upright.

Dr Johnson ignored the sarcasm and concentrated on his task, determined to do what McKay had been unable to.

"I think you should hurry."

Johnson looked up from his work to see a light forming over the device. His eyes widened in fear before he bent back to his work, his pace faster than before.

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McKay checked Sheppard for other injuries discovering a number of small glass cuts on Sheppard's back and arms, some still bleeding and more than one with glass still embedded in the wound. Rodney dug into his Tac-vest for his first aid supplies. He carefully removed each glass shard applying pressure to stop the blood flow that was triggered.

When he thought he had found and treated each of the cuts on Sheppard's back he then cleared the remaining glass away from around Sheppard. He struggled to drag Sheppard away from the wall so that he could roll him over onto his back. "How can you weigh so much?" he asked.

He succeeded in turning his friend onto his back, worried at the lack of response. McKay inspected his friend's face pulling away a glass chip from the edge of his hairline. The piece of glass was bigger than the others he had removed and the wound bled profusely. "Crap." He remembered Carson telling him that cuts to the head were always the bloodiest and that it did not necessarily indicate a serious injury. He hoped that his damned voodoo knowledge was right. He ran his hands through the Colonel's hair checking for any other more serious injuries before checking the rest of his body. Despite his thoughts about medicine not being a proper science he wished that Carson was here to treat his friend.

He reached down and tapped the side of Sheppard's face hoping to get a response. There was none. McKay slipped off his jacket and bundled it up before placing it under Sheppard's head as a pillow. He tried to raise Ronon and Teyla on the radio but got no reply. He tried again with the same result. "Damn it. Why can't anything go our way? Just once would be nice."

He glanced over at the tunnel entrance, barely able to see it in the torchlight. He remembered the cloud of dust that had enveloped Sheppard, the result of the tunnel collapsing. _Why would I expect anything else?_ He froze when he remembered something. "Oh no! The jumper." _Sheppard left to warn the jumper, maybe they are okay._ He looked down at his friend and vaguely remembered Sheppard mentioning a second entrance. He didn't like leaving Sheppard in his current state but he had no choice. He had to find the others. Ronon could carry Sheppard back to the jumper easily and he could fly them back to Atlantis and Beckett.

He pushed himself to his feet and with one last glance at his unconscious friend he turned and made his way through the other room and out into the second tunnel dodging around the scattered debris that littered the tunnel. He moved quickly, stumbling at times when his feet found the fallen material but each time he regained his balance and forced himself on. He reached the entrance and noticed that the sun was dipping down towards the mountains in the distance.

He tapped his radio. "Teyla? Ronon?" Rodney paced on the spot as he gave them a moment to answer his call. "Come on guys, answer me. Sheppard's hurt." Still no answer came. Rodney stopped his pacing, "Damn. The radio must be broken." He glanced back at the tunnel entrance, knowing he had no choice but to find the others. He took a step back towards the tunnel, his confidence waning_ What if there are hungry animals out here? Big scary animals_._"That's what your gun is for_." replied the Sheppard voice in his head. _Right. I have my M9. I can do this. I have to._ He turned back away from the tunnel entrance and headed off in the direction of the main entrance breaking into a half run.

The trees were casting long shadows over the path as he followed it around the base of the mountain. Several times he heard noises coming from within the trees. He hoped that he didn't encounter whatever was making those mournful sounds. It reminded him of wolves calling for a mate. He hoped that was all it was and not the sounds of a hunting party keen to make a meal out of him. Sheppard had made sure he knew how to use a weapon but he was no crack-shot. Not like Sheppard. Thinking of Sheppard reminded him of his purpose and he increased his speed, temporarily pushing the sounds from the forest out of his mind.

It was further than he had expected and the light was starting to fade. He had slowed his pace with the failing light, knowing the last thing he needed right now was a twisted ankle or worse. Having slowed his pace he now noticed that the air was decidedly chilly and he wished he hadn't used his jacket as a pillow. Then he felt a pang of guilt for being selfish as he worried about his friend. He came around a group of boulders and could just make out the main entrance. He couldn't see Ronon or Teyla but they were probably inside the entrance checking what had happened.

"Ronon? Teyla?" called Rodney as he approached the main entrance. He waited but all he could hear was the sound of the wind rustling through the trees and the sounds of distant animals. Or at least he hoped they were distant. He had no doubt they were animals. He went inside the tunnel expecting to find his team mates there, "Ronon? Teyla?" His voice echoed down the tunnel but their voices didn't echo back. He stepped back outside, puzzled by their absence. He noticed that is was getting quite dark and he soon wouldn't be able to see his way back to the second entrance. He tried to contact Ronon or Teyla on the radio again with no result.

_Where are they?_ He started pacing again. _Maybe they've gone back to the jumper to get help._ He considered heading to the jumper to check but that was a good thirty minute walk away, probably longer now that it was almost dark. He could easily get lost in the darkness and he didn't want to leave Sheppard alone for that long. He'd already been gone for too long. He wandered around in the immediate area calling out to Ronon and Teyla, not wanting to admit to himself that he was essentially alone.

Rodney felt his heart race as his anxiety level escalated further. "Maybe they were in the tunnel when it collapsed. _Oh no. They must be dead._ _Maybe Williams and the others are too. Maybe that device sent out an energy beam that took out the jumper._ "How could I have done this to them?" Rodney continued to pace, mentally berating himself for his arrogance at thinking he could operate the Ancient device. He shivered as a biting wind started to blow quite strongly. He realised that he'd been gone from Sheppard for near on forty minutes. The others were lost but at least he could care for Sheppard. "I hope you're conscious." He remarked before he started back the way he'd come, moving as fast as he dared in the failing light.

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Lucas looked down at the shaking ground then across at Jones. "You don't think that they..."

Jones nodded his head. "It would be too much of a coincidence to be an earthquake."

"We should go check." announced Lucas moving toward the tunnel entrance.

"Dex told us to stay out here."

"They could be in trouble." responded Lucas.

"So could we if we disobey him. I say we stay."

Lucas considered his options, torn between following orders and doing what he thought was the right thing. The decision was made for him as the shaking increased dramatically before suddenly stopping as a loud crack emanated from the mountain. He looked across at Jones to see the same expression he suspected was plastered on his own face. "Screw orders, I'm going in. You can stay here if you like."

Jones shook his head. "I'm coming with you."

Lucas led the way into the tunnel, moving quickly around the fallen rock. Part way in they found the way blocked by fallen rubble but the two of them made short work of moving it out of the way. They finally made their way to the equipment room to find no sign of Dex or the scientist. Lucas moved further into the room and checked behind the equipment before turning to look at Jones. "They're gone. Even their equipment is gone."

"Shit! Now what do we do?"

Lucas started towards the exit. "We return to Atlantis."

"They won't be happy." replied Jones following his team mate.

"I suspect not." added Lucas as he changed to a jog. His team leader had left over an hour ago and would most likely be out of radio range.

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**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh gosh! (Yes people do still use that word.) How many more people will be swallowed by the Ancient device before they work out what it does? Don't answer that. I can also hear the sighs of relief that the boys have made a re-appearance even if Sheppard is down for the count at the moment. Will Rodney work out what has happened? Have you? The clues are all there so Rodney should work it out if he's not too distracted with his worry for Sheppard and need to take care of him. Anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Just push that little button at the bottom of the screen. The challenge is now closed. Has anyone won the prize? Keep reading to find out. And there will be more whump! And angst. And TLC. I won't let them suffer without a little TLC.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 24**

Zelenka crouched down on the floor connecting the last of the data crystal containers from PX3-M37 with Atlantis' own systems in the map room. He sat back and looked at the number of containers spread around the now crowded room. He pushed himself upright and stepped over to the console.

"It's ready. Please turn it on, Major." instructed Zelenka.

"I don't think this is what the Doc had in mind when he released me for light duties." replied Lorne as he moved to stand next to Zelenka.

"Would you rather do paperwork?"

"Hell, no." replied Lorne, placing his hand on the tactile interface.

Zelenka chuckled at Lorne's response as he watched the hologram slowly resolve from the glowing light. His chuckling stopped as his mouth fell open when he saw another replica of Weir appear. He stared at the image as he thought about the implications.

"Hey, why does it look like Dr Weir?" asked Lorne, interrupting Zelenka's thoughts.

"Um...The...um...image was pre-set when... the Colonel initialised it." replied Zelenka.

Lorne's frowned as he considered Zelenka's answer. "Makes sense, I guess. Is that all you need me for?"

Lorne's frown dissolved and Zelenka thought he saw a look of disappointment, confirming Zelenka's suspicions. "Yes, Major. Thank you, once started the hologram allows access to anyone." replied Zelenka as he watched Lorne take one last look at the hologram before leaving the room.

_You are popular lady Dr Weir._ Zelenka returned his attention to an examination of the database looking for further details on the Ancient device that Rodney was investigating.

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Sheppard groaned as he clawed his way back to consciousness, keeping his eyes closed as he fought back the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. Feeling more in control of his body, he opened his eyes, blinking several times as his brain slowly processed that opening his eyes had made no difference. All he saw was darkness. He tried to remember what had happened. All he could remember was a sense of urgency but not why. Jumbled and broken images came back to him. An image of Elizabeth in a long red dress. Another of a building collapsing. Pain. He remembered pain. Was she here? Hurt like him or worse. Was she dead?

"Lizb'th?"

Sheppard's voice sounded quiet and rough even to his own ears. No reply came. He tried again, calling louder, panting at the effort required and the spike in his headache that it caused. Still no answer came.

He knew he should try to get up but he wasn't sure he could. His body ached from head to toe and his head felt as if his brains would leak out his ears at any moment. Maybe it would relieve the pressure on his skull if they did. Rodney already accused him of being empty-headed anyway. Rodney! He had been with Rodney.

"Rodney?"

He waited for the scientist's acerbic tongue to voice his response. None came.

"Dammit, anyone. Answer!"

His headache spiked further making him grunt. He didn't think his head could ache any more than it did. He moved to lift his left hand to his head but stopped when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. He groaned through clenched teeth as he eased his arm back down, trying to breathe through the agony, waiting for the sensation to subside.

His thoughts drifted again. Maybe he had passed out for a while. He wasn't sure. His thoughts returned to Rodney and he knew he had to move. Had to find him and make sure he was okay. He clenched his jaw against the expected pain and pushed himself to a sitting position. The movement made his head swim and his nausea worse. He was determined not to give in to his injuries while there was chance a friend could also be hurt. He pushed himself up onto unsteady legs, groaning as every injury competed for his attention. Raising his good arm to his head he found the tender lump that increased its throbbing under his touch. His fingers came away wet and sticky. He felt his strength draining away as his legs started to tremble. He lifted his foot to take a step but never completed the move as his eyes rolled up and he slid back into oblivion.

Rodney raced back into the empty room, the torchlight dancing up and down as he moved. He stepped through the doorway into the machine room in time to see Sheppard collapsing. He dashed across the room and knelt by his fallen friend, lifting his head back onto the makeshift pillow, noticing that Sheppard's eyes were closed again. Rodney sank onto the floor next to him and lowered his head into his hands. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't leave Sheppard alone but he had to get help for him somehow. He looked across at Sheppard when he heard a quiet groan and found Sheppard stirring again. He waited anxiously as Sheppard half-opened his eyes.

"Good you're conscious again." remarked Rodney.

Sheppard didn't respond. His eyes started to slide shut again but Rodney put a hand on Sheppard's left shoulder sending a bolt of pain through his body causing him to cry out. Rodney pulled his hand away asking, "What's wrong with your shoulder?" Sheppard didn't respond. His face was pinched and ashen. Moisture had broken out on his forehead and was mixing with the drying blood, his eyes were still open. Glassy but open. It was something at least, Rodney thought but he was still concerned by the lack of response. He was in big trouble if Sheppard had hit the wall hard enough to cause permanent brain damage.

"Colonel, please confirm that your brain is still in one piece by saying something. Anything." Rodney studied Sheppard's face as he waited for a response. The response was quiet and came slowly after a delay that compounded Rodney's fears.

"What ... happened?"

"I don't fully know. There was a big build up of energy and then it suddenly released." replied Rodney.

Sheppard swallowed back the nausea and closed his eyes.

"No you don't. I need you conscious." admonished Rodney. A few moments later Sheppard opened his eyes again.

"I can't raise Ronon, Teyla or Williams on the radio. I need to …" started Rodney stopping when Sheppard pushed himself into a sitting position. Sheppard paused for a moment as his vision dimmed. The feeling passed and he attempted to push himself upright. He made it to his feet, stumbled and nearly collapsed again until Rodney grabbed and steadied him.

"What are you doing?" asked Rodney.

Sheppard rubbed his eyes with his hand but it made no difference. He was still seeing double. He tried to raise Ronon and Teyla on his radio and winced as the responding static sent new pain through his already aching head.

"Tried that. Even went outside and tried. It ..." started Rodney but Sheppard wasn't listening. He started toward the exit, his movements were uncertain and he needed the wall for support. Rodney followed him staying close enough to catch him if he stumbled. "I don't think your walking about is such a good idea." stated Rodney.

Sheppard followed the tunnel and finally stepped out into the darkness. Rodney stepped out behind him and felt the cold wind cut through his thin clothing. The area was bathed in moonlight and the ground was now covered with a layer of fresh snow.

"This doesn't make any sense. There shouldn't be any snow." commented Rodney shivering as the cold air sapped the warmth from his body.

Sheppard tried to call Ronon and Teyla again. There still was no response.

"Colonel, you're in no condition to be out…" started Rodney.

"How long was I…?" asked Sheppard as he looked up at the moon and swayed.

"An hour maybe more." replied Rodney staying close to his friend's side.

Sheppard then turned to his left and started to walk away, his steps fast but uncoordinated.

"Colonel, where are you going?" asked Rodney surprised by Sheppard's action. He started after him, planning to be ready to catch his friend if he stumbled.

"To the jumper." came the delayed reply.

Rodney caught up with him and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "That's the wrong way." added Rodney not sure that Sheppard could make it to the jumper anyway.

Sheppard slowly turned and nearly lost his balance in the process. Rodney steadied him again. "I'm alright." insisted Sheppard.

"No you're not." retorted Rodney "You need to rest."

"I'll rest once we've found the others."

"No!" yelled Rodney in frustration "We need to go back inside. It's freezing out here and you're in no condition to go wandering around blindly. You need to rest."

Rodney could see that his words were finally getting through to him. Sheppard nodded his head in agreement before realizing that doing so was not a good idea. Everything started to spin wildly and his nausea worsened. He turned away from Rodney nearly falling face first into the snow before vomiting. Rodney held onto him, easing him back up and guiding him back to the tunnel.

When Sheppard stumbled again, Rodney caught him and then helped support his weight the rest of the way. Once back in the cavern he lowered Sheppard back down onto the floor. "Try to get some sleep. We can go to the jumper when the sun comes up assuming that Williams hasn't come back before then."

Rodney watched as Sheppard's eyes closed and his breathing evened out indicating he was either asleep or unconscious again. He hoped Sheppard was sleeping. Rodney watched him sleep for a moment thinking back to Antarctica and the day they met. Sheppard had sat in the Ancient chair and he had been surprised to find such a strong gene carrier in their midst. He was even more surprised that they had become best friends. He didn't want to lose that. He had to get Sheppard back to Atlantis if Williams didn't show up with Ronon and Teyla.

He fetched his laptop from the top of the device, having decided to keep watch just as Sheppard would if their roles were reversed. He sat back down leaning against the wall where he could just make out both doorways and be within easy reach of Sheppard and started to examine the data that his laptop recorded from the device earlier.

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Weir stood on the balcony overlooking the city and the ocean without seeing any of it. Her head was bowed as she fought with her emotions. She couldn't afford to let the others see her like this. She needed to be in control. They were expecting it of her. But every time he did something like this it was harder for her to stay in control.

She wiped at the tears on her cheeks. _Why is this so hard? I've dealt with worse situations than this without falling apart._

"You're in love with him, Elizabeth." stated Carson as he moved up to put a comforting hand on her arm.

Weir started at the sound of his voice. "Carson, how... Oh," realising that she must have spoken her thoughts.

Carson gave her a smile. "You have a good team. I'm sure they'll find him. And Rodney of course."

"I hope so Carson, because if they don't I think I'll fall apart." stated Weir wiping at the remaining tears. She visibly pulled herself together as she straightened. "I have a rescue to organise."

Carson smiled sadly as he followed her towards the conference room where the others waited for her.

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Everyone else was already gathered in the conference room waiting for her and Carson. Weir took a deep breath before stepping into the room, her leader's mask firmly in place despite the turmoil bubbling away within.

She moved to her usual seat and Carson took the empty seat to her left. She glanced around at the people sat around the table and realised that Carson was right. These people were good people and they all held great respect for John and Rodney. They would do everything in their power to bring them back safely.

"Teyla, can you tell us what happened?" asked Weir.

Teyla looked across at Weir. "I do not know exactly." started Teyla as she recounted what she knew to the others in the room. She realised as she spoke that she had little real information to give them. "When Ronon and I managed to get through to the room with the Ancient device, they were gone."

"Gone?" echoed Lorne "There was no trace at all?"

"Dr McKay's equipment was not present but there was a broken display panel and blood on the wall behind it. Dr Beckett has a sample of the blood."

All eyes turned to Carson. "Aye, it is the same blood type as the Colonel's. I'm waiting on the results to confirm it's his."

Weir had known that it was likely but still hearing it from Carson somehow made it more real. Sheppard was out there somewhere and he was hurt. _Carson is right_ _I do love him. _She took another deep breath and looked up from the table. She had to stay in control, only then could she help the man she loved.

"Major Lorne, I need you to organise a team to return to the planet. Major Williams can lead the team..."

"I'd like to lead it, ma'am." interrupted Lorne, glancing across at Williams in apology.

"I beg to differ." interjected Carson. "Your ribs are still healing."

Lorne glared at Carson. "He's my CO. He'd do the same for me. Three men are already there and I'll take two teams back with me. I'll be fine."

"Your call, Carson." added Weir.

Carson looked from Weir to Lorne, noticing that Lorne looked like he had been taking lessons from Sheppard in the 'how to get your own way' look. He sighed. "Okay, lad, but let the others do any heavy work required."

"Thanks, doc, I appreciate it."

"Okay, now that's settled. Radek I want you to go along as well. Dr Johnson may need a hand with the device. Have you learnt anything more from the database?" asked Weir.

Zelenka shook his head as he replied, "Not yet. There is much information in encrypted files that I have not been able to access. I am downloading everything to my laptop. I can continue to work on it enroute to the planet. All I have been able to work out is that the machine was abandoned. It appears that the Ancients could not get it to work correctly."

"That doesn't sound good." stated Lorne.

"No, it doesn't." agreed Weir, "Okay Radek, do what you can. Carson I want a medical person to go as well, they may be hurt."

Carson nodded. "I'll go myself. Dr Keller can take care of things here."

"I would like to return as well." stated Teyla.

Weir nodded her agreement, trying to think whether there was anything she had forgotten. She couldn't think of anything else. She looked around the room again proud to be in charge of these people. "Let's get this mission underway quickly."

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Weir found Lorne in the armoury organising the gear that his team would need for this mission. To her eyes it looked like he was preparing for a small war. He handed a crate of supplies to one of the men she assumed he'd chosen for his team.

"Major, Can I have a quick word?"

Lorne turned around to see Weir leaning on the door frame. "Sure, ma'am."

Weir stepped into the passageway and Lorne followed her.

"I want to go on this mission as well."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, ma'am? I mean, all of the senior staff will be absent." replied Lorne. He understood why she wanted to go. At least he thought he did after her behaviour in the infirmary earlier. He suspected his CO had similar feelings for her. He couldn't let her go on this mission. It was too risky and his CO would never forgive him if he let something happen to her. He doubted he'd forgive himself.

Weir bit her lower lip as she considered Lorne's reply. _He's right, of course. I should stay here. What if the Wraith attack? No I should stay. _She knew in her mind that not going was the right course to take but her heart was telling her that she needed to go. That Sheppard needed her. She looked up to see Lorne watching her. She wondered whether he too could see through her facade.

Lorne watched Weir as she thought about what he had said. He could see the faint redness around her eyes when she looked up at him and realised that she must have been crying. He thought back to all of the times that he'd seen her in the infirmary watching over Sheppard as he recovered. He knew she visited whenever anyone was hurt or sick. She had even visited him but she spent far more time with Sheppard than she did with anyone else and when Sheppard had been infected with the retrovirus she had been the only one he'd let in to see him.

"I'll find Sheppard for you." promised Lorne.

Weir's eyes widened at his statement but she didn't deny the implication. Lorne gave her a small smile, his suspicion confirmed. "We'll do everything we can to find him and bring him home. It's too risky for you to go and Sheppard would never forgive me if something happened to you."

Weir nodded, accepting that he was right, much as she might hate the idea. Her place was here in Atlantis. She would have to trust her people to bring him...them back safely to her.

"And your secret is safe with me." added Lorne.

"Thank you, Major." She managed a small smile of her own as she left him to finish his preparations wondering just how long her secret would remain a secret now that both Carson and Lorne knew about it.

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**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh dear, poor Sheppard. I'm sure he'd rather have Weir with him at the moment. Can Rodney work out what has happened and get help for Sheppard? Where are Ronon and Dr Johnson? Will they be the last to vanish? And how many more people will work out that Sheppard and Weir should be together before he does? Anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Just push that little button at the bottom of the screen. The challenge is now closed. Has anyone won the prize? Keep reading to find out. And there will be more whump! And angst. And TLC. I won't let them suffer without a little TLC.


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own. The delay in posting this chapter is purely my fault alone. RL got in the way but I'm back now.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 25**

Weir sat in her office, her laptop open before her. To anyone outside her office it looked like she was engrossed in her work. She wished they were right then at least she could distract herself for a moment instead of worrying about John. She knew Lorne would do his best but she also knew he might not be able to fulfil his promise of finding the missing men.

She tried to shake her dark thoughts, noticing that she'd been staring at her laptop screen for so long that the laptop had gone into sleep mode leaving the screen black. She activated it again with the push of a button just as the gate alarm sounded. She jumped out of her chair and rushed to the control room. _Please let this be Ronon bringing them back. It has to be. No-one else is off-world at the moment._

"It's Lucas' IDC." announced Chuck.

"Lower the shield and open a radio link." ordered Weir. "Do you have them Sargeant?"

"Um ... no ma'am we don't."

Weir frowned. "Then why are you returning, Sargeant?"

"Dex and Dr Johnson have vanished, ma'am."

Weir looked down as she absorbed his reply, "Come on through Sargeant. We'll debrief in my office as soon you get here."

Moments later the jumper emerged from the wormhole and rose on its way to the jumper bay. Weir turned away and tapped her earpiece. "Major Lorne, come to my office now and bring Radek with you."

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Lucas stood in Weir's office as he made his report to Weir and Lorne.

"You did the right thing, Sargeant." commended Lorne. "Check in with the infirmary and then get some rest."

"Yes sir." Lucas nodded before heading towards the infirmary.

"I'll add some extra men." said Lorne.

"I'll speak with Soong and Salesi." added Zelenka.

Weir looked at the two men in her office, both good men in their own fields but four good men had already gone missing, could she put more at risk? "I do not want anyone to take unnecessary risks. Radek, I do not want anyone else going missing. If you cannot decipher that device without triggering it then I want you to abort the mission and return."

"But what about the Colonel and the others?" asked Radek.

"I'm sure Rodney is working on the problem wherever they are." replied Weir.

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Rodney woke with a start. He had been dreaming. The dream was already fading from his memory but he could remember the fear he had felt at being trapped and all alone. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as his foggy brain registered that he was not on Atlantis. If he had been then his back would not ache the way it currently did. He looked down and saw that his laptop had slipped onto the floor beside him. He didn't know when he'd fallen asleep, but he did remember that he had planned to stay awake and guard Sheppard.

He glanced across to where Sheppard lay and noticed that he was sleeping peacefully at last, exhaustion having finally dragged him into a dreamless sleep. He had been tossing and turning earlier, mumbling in his sleep and waking frequently. Whatever he had been dreaming was obviously not pleasant. Rodney suspected the concussion had something to do with it. He was sure Sheppard had one. Beckett would've woken Sheppard every couple of hours to check his brains still worked and that there were no complications. He knew he should do the same but what was he going to do if there were complications? Besides Sheppard's unpleasant dreams had taken care of the issue for him causing him to wake in his bid to escape from their untold horrors.

Rodney pushed himself to his feet and stretched in an attempt to rid himself of the kinks he was sure were permanent. Trust him to fall asleep leaning against the wall. His head had been slumped against his chest when he'd woken and the muscles in the back of his neck ached from the strain. He looked across at his pack knowing he had Ibuprofen amongst his gear but one glance at Sheppard made him ignore it. Sheppard was bound to need the pain-killers upon waking.

Rodney made his way through the tunnel and stepped outside to check the weather conditions. He noticed that it was still early and the sun had not yet risen above the horizon. The temperature felt barely above freezing but he had lived through worse in his native Canada. He could see there had been more snow overnight as he looked across to the trees that stood between him and where they had left the jumper, deciding that there was enough light for him to find his way through the trees safely. He turned and made his way back inside the mountain. Sheppard was still out of it. He scrounged in his backpack looking for something to write on. He finally found a torn sheet at the bottom of his bag and wrote Sheppard a note saying, _"Stay put. I'll be back as quickly as I can. Hopefully with help."_ He placed a canteen of water by Sheppard's side, leaving the Ibuprofen next to it and stood the note upright using the canteen for support.

It worried him that Sheppard was laying there so still, his face pale and drawn even in his sleep. Rodney watched his friend for a moment before rising to his feet and heading back into the tunnel.

The sun had risen further in the time Rodney had been in the mountain. He turned to his right and made his way around the base of the mountain as quickly as the soft snow would allow. He had always loved fresh snow when he was growing up but now he hated it as it slowed his passage. He could feel it working its way into his boots and making his socks damp and uncomfortable.

_Suck it up_, stated the Sheppard voice in his head.

"I am. I'm doing this aren't I?" snapped Rodney.

_Yes, you are,_ replied Sheppard's voice again. _You do know I'm not really here don't you?_

"Of course I do." Rodney rubbed his cold arms as he kept moving, cursing their bad luck under his breath as his feet sank further into the soft snow. Staying upright as he moved was taking all of his concentration and he nearly missed seeing the clearing through the trees to his right that marked the spot where they had left the jumper the day before.

He pressed the remote control button to make the jumper visible but nothing happened. "I'm sure this was the spot." He tried the remote again but still no jumper appeared. He stumbled on for another hundred metres and tried again before returning. He considered that maybe the blast had affected the remote control and stepped out into the middle of the clearing expecting to find the jumper by walking into it but he managed to cross the clearing completely without hitting an obstacle. He crossed over in another couple of spots with the same result.

"Crap. Don't tell me that they left without us. No that doesn't make sense. They wouldn't leave us. Me maybe, but not Sheppard." He tried calling Ronon and Teyla on his radio and still got no response. He couldn't believe it. He looked around the clearing again realizing that if the jumper was in the clearing then the snow would've banked up on one side making it easy to find. The jumper was definitely gone and so were Ronon and Teyla. That meant Major Williams and his team were most likely gone as well. He truly was on his own.

_What about me?_ asked the voice in his head.

"Voices in my head don't count." replied Rodney.

_No the 'me' back in the mountain._

"Shit!" Rodney looked at his watch and realized he had been gone far longer than he had intended. He needed to get back to Sheppard. Rodney started back to the cavern talking to himself as he went. "What have I done? I've killed them."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh my, poor Rodney. He does get a rough time of it at times doesn't he? But at least Weir has confidence in his abilities even if he's doubting himself. Will he be smart enough to work out what we all know? Maybe, he is Mensa after all. If you want to find out may I suggest pressing that little grey button at the bottom of the page and leaving me a bribe in the way of a review. I respond well to this kind of bribery.


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 26**

Sheppard opened his eyes only to close them again when the light sent daggers of pain into his brain. _Light? Shouldn't it be dark?_ Sheppard opened his eyes to slits and looked around finding the torch that had been left on by his side. Next to it he saw a piece of paper with something scrawled on it but he couldn't focus his eyes enough to read what it said. "Rodney?" He spotted the foil strip in front of the note. _Pain killers._ He reached across and popped a couple of tablets from the strip. Noticing the canteen, he washed the tablets down with the water before leaning back and closing his eyes as exhaustion pulled him back into its grasp.

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Rodney arrived to find Sheppard where he had left him. His eyes still closed. He knelt by his friend's side before spotting the empty foil strip. He sighed with relief. What was he going to do now? _He needs a doctor not a hard floor and an astrophysicist._

Sheppard started to stir, opening his eyes to see Rodney peering closely at him. He blinked but the double image remained the same. "Rodney?" Sheppard's head was pounding so much he was sure there was someone in there with a jackhammer trying to dig their way to China via the Pegasus galaxy.

"Yes."

"Stop staring and give me a hand up."

Rodney wasn't so sure that Sheppard should be moving given the events of the night before but Sheppard was stubbornly trying to push himself upright. He leant over and pulled Sheppard to his feet. Sheppard put a hand to his head as the throbbing intensified.

"You're not going to be sick again are you?" asked Rodney.

"No." replied Sheppard as he turned to leave via the tunnel entrance. "We need to get back to the jumper and locate the others."

"That might be difficult."

Sheppard stopped and looked at Rodney, asking "Why?"

"I went back to the clearing before you woke and the jumper's not there."

"How can it not be there? You sure you went back to the right place?"

"Yes I'm sure." Rodney regretted his tone when he saw Sheppard wince.

Sheppard ignored him and started toward the tunnel again.

"But I guess we can check it again." muttered McKay grabbing his jacket from the floor as he followed, deciding it was easier to play along than to argue with a concussion.

He saw Sheppard stumble and rushed forward grabbing hold of Sheppard's left shoulder to steady him. Sheppard grunted at the pain from McKay's touch.

"What's wrong with your shoulder?" asked McKay pulling his hand away.

Sheppard rode out the pain until it slowly subsided to a bearable level, opening his eyes again to see McKay watching him with a worried expression on his face.

McKay repeated his question. "What's wrong with your shoulder?"

"I think it's broken.

"What?"

"A beam fell on it in the tunnel." replied Sheppard.

"What? That was before the device triggered. You should've said something earlier. Do you always have to keep playing Mr Indestructible?" Rodney stopped his tirade when he noticed that Sheppard had closed his eyes again and realized that he'd raised his voice. "Sorry, I guess your head still hurts. Just quit being so stoic all the time."

"I wasn't trying to be stoic." replied Sheppard, "You were rather busy at the time." Sheppard took the final steps out of the tunnel into the sunshine. The temperature had risen with the sun but was still on the cool side. Sheppard noticed the layer of snow covering the ground. "Looks like the weather is changing. We'd better find the jumper and locate Teyla and Ronon."

"Only after I strap you arm for you." said Rodney.

Sheppard turned back to face Rodney and saw the determined look on his face. "Fine. Just be quick."

Rodney took a pressure bandage from his Tac-vest. "This will hurt."

"Just do it."

Rodney wrapped the bandage around Sheppard's left wrist and then raised Sheppard's arm until he could tie off the bandage around his neck like a sling. He had been as gentle as he could but he'd seen the colour drain from his friend's face the moment he'd moved his arm. He had no doubt that Sheppard's shoulder was indeed broken. "All done. Now take these." Rodney handed Sheppard some more Ibuprofen and the water canteen. "I'd give you the morphine but with the head injury…"

"These will be fine." replied Sheppard as he swallowed the tablets.

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Sheppard stopped at the edge of the clearing. Rodney could see that trudging through the snow was taking its toll on Sheppard taking much longer this time than it had on Rodney's first trip. Sheppard fished his remote from his pocket with his good hand and pushed the button. Nothing happened.

"I told you it wasn't here."

"Yes you did but Teyla and Ronon can't fly it so where did it go and why hasn't Williams returned with the second jumper?" Sheppard turned and looked at McKay, wincing as the movement sent a fresh spike of pain through his shoulder, "That device. Did you figure out what it does?"

"Not exactly." replied McKay, grateful that Sheppard was at least more alert than he had been earlier even if he did look ready to collapse.

"And by that you mean?"

"No." replied Rodney "I looked through all of the data that I recorded when the device triggered. And believe me there was a lot. The device drew in a huge amount of power -"

"From where?" asked Sheppard as he absently rubbed his aching head.

"From the planet's core. There is a lot of energy available in the magma. It would explain why the mountain started shaking." Rodney noticed that Sheppard was shivering now that they had stopped moving. "We should go back to the mountain before we freeze out here."

Sheppard looked back towards the clearing as if to confirm that the jumper really was gone. "We need to get back to that machine and work out what it did." Sheppard started back towards the mountain leaving Rodney to catch up with him.

Sheppard looked across at Rodney and saw the worried look on his face. "Atlantis will send a rescue team once we are overdue."

"Then why aren't they here. We were due to report in last night. They've had plenty of time to find us." replied Rodney.

"They'll come, Rodney. Just give them time."

"Hopefully we're not human popsicles by then." replied Rodney as he kicked at the snow. His thoughts went back to the Ancient device and what he knew about it which wasn't much. He remembered a device at the SGC that had shifted Mitchell and Carter out of phase and wondered if the same had happened to them. He discounted the idea when he recalled the details from the report. No-one at the SGC could see the pair whilst they were out of phase but they could see the members of the SGC. He should've been able to see Teyla and Ronon but he hadn't. He then considered whether the device sent them to an alternative universe but it did not have the properties of a quantum mirror and he was sure he would've recognized a quantum mirror. He was still lost in thought when he walked into Sheppard.

Sheppard gasped in pain and grabbed at a nearby tree when he lost his balance. "Watch where you're going!" grunted Sheppard.

"Sorry, why did you stop?" asked Rodney.

"I thought I heard something." replied Sheppard. "Must have been my imagination."

"Or the concussion." mumbled Rodney.

Sheppard pushed himself away from the tree and nearly lost his balance again as he experienced a dizzy spell.

Rodney reached out and steadied him, noticing how pale Sheppard's face had become. "Are you okay? Perhaps we should rest here for a few minutes."

Sheppard waited for a moment for everything to stop spinning. "I'm okay. We need to get moving."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh, oh. That can't be good. What did he hear, one of those animals Rodney was worried about earlier or something far worse? Sorry I going to be cruel again and make you wait for a little bit but not too long. In the meantime let me know what you think by pressing that little grey button – you know the drill by now, I'm sure.


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 27**

Weir stood at the railing of the control room overlooking the gate room as she waited for the jumpers to descend from the jumper bay. She didn't see Doctor Jennifer Keller enter the gate room. Her thoughts were far away remembering another time stood on this balcony when he had been stood by her side giving her his support as they had waited for news from another overdue team. They had returned safely that time without the need for him to launch a rescue meeting. She hoped that Zelenka could do what Dr Johnson had been unable to and bring the others back to home. Bring him back to her. Dr Keller's footsteps interrupted her thoughts as she jogged up the stairs and joined her at the railing.

"I suppose Carson told you that I'm falling apart?" asked Weir.

"No, he did tell me that you have been under a lot of stress lately and haven't been sleeping properly. Personally I would've fallen apart a long time ago doing your job."

Weir looked down at her knuckles as they stood out in white contrast to the railing she was gripping tightly and forced herself to relax her grip. She looked up again when she heard the first of the jumpers descend into the gate room. She reached up and tapped her radio. "Be safe Major and bring them home."

"Yes ma'am." replied Lorne as the jumper entered the event horizon closely followed by two more.

Weir continued to stare at the stargate after it had shut down until Keller placed a hand on her arm.

"It's late. You should try to get some rest. I can give you something to help you sleep."

Weir turned to look at the young woman by her side and nodded her acceptance.

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Major Lorne let Teyla lead him into the mountain tunnel while Zelenka and the other scientists, Soong and Salesi followed. The second team were further back carrying additional equipment for the scientists.

Zelenka paused when he saw the scale of the device before him then swung into action giving Soong and Salesi directions.

"How can you avoid triggering the device like McKay and Johnson?" asked Lorne from his position by the platform.

"There is no guarantee since we do not know what it is that they did. But I suggest that you do not touch anything or think anything that may start it."

"You think that the Colonel's ATA gene triggered it?" asked Lorne.

"It is possible, Dr Johnson also has the gene." replied Zelenka.

"Maybe you should check on the others, Major." suggested Teyla.

"Maybe I should." replied Lorne.

Zelenka focussed his attention on the device before him. Teyla turned towards the other scientists and noticed that they too were already engrossed in their work. Salesi was tapping on the laptop keyboard as quickly as McKay would have as if he was affected with the same caffeine habit. She knew that this wasn't true in his case. His fervour came from his passion for his speciality, computers. Zelenka had him working on the file encryption hoping that his passion would enable him to get beyond the multi-layered protection that seemed to be in place. Teyla settled herself down for what she expected to be a long wait.

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Lorne exited the tunnel to find Major Williams' men carrying the remaining items from the jumpers for the scientists with Beckett tagging along. Williams stopped beside Lorne as his men continued inside. Beckett joined them grateful to lower his medical kit to the ground for a moment.

"Did they kick you out?" asked Williams

"They're worried about my ATA gene triggering the device." replied Lorne.

" Castello has the gene as well and he just went in there." stated Beckett.

"I doubt he'll be thinking about the device when he spots Soong, if you know what I mean." replied Williams.

"Yeah, I heard about the bikini-wearing hologram." said Lorne with a chuckle.

Williams' men rejoined them and Lorne appointed two men to stay on watch by the entrance. The remaining men were split into two groups.

"I want you to look for any signs that Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, or Doctors McKay and Johnson have been here since the device triggered. The other team will join us when they've finished their aerial recon. I want to know if you find anything at all. Dr Beckett I suggest that you stay here."

"Don't worry I won't be going anywhere near that bloody device."

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"I'm in." announced Salesi, "I've broken the encryption."

"That is good." replied Zelenka as he joined Salesi at the laptop screen. "What does it say?" Zelenka took control of the keyboard and started to read through the technical details. He paused on the first of many complex diagrams scattered throughout the text, reading the annotations. "Oh my."

Teyla grew concerned at his reaction and joined the scientists. She looked at the diagram that they were studying but it meant nothing to her. "What is it?"

"The device creates an artificial black hole." replied Zelenka as he continued to skim through the text.

"What is a black hole?" asked Teyla.

"Trouble." replied Salesi.

"It is the concentration of much matter in infinitely tiny space. It is so dense that even light cannot escape the huge gravity it generates. A black hole distorts space-time around it." explained Zelenka.

"Why would they build such a device?" asked Teyla puzzled.

"Frank Tipfler, a scientist on Earth, theorised that black holes could be used to travel through time. It was a widely accepted theory but no-one has been able to safely create an artificial black hole. The amount of energy required alone is enormous and was beyond the ability of Earth scientists to generate."

"And you think the Ancients succeeded?" asked Teyla.

"It is too early to say. It is possible that the Colonel and the others were transported in time." replied Zelenka.

"But they may have been trapped in the gravity well." added Salesi, "When the device triggered the gravity well would've collapsed. If they were not transported in time..."

"Then they are dead." finished Radek.

Teyla looked from them to the device as she considered their words. She turned back to them. "We need to know, doctor." stated Teyla.

"It may not be possible to find out." said Zelenka.

Teyla nodded her acceptance of the scientist's answer but it was not what she wanted to hear.

"I'll see if I can access any log files." offered Soong, "Maybe I can determine whether a stable black hole was achieved."

"I'll check for diagnostic routines, see if I can work out what the machine is set to." added Salesi.

"Do what you can, I will inform the Major." stated Teyla.

Zelenka nodded and turned back to the Ancient device. Teyla watched them for a moment before heading out into the tunnel.

**TBC**

**A/N:** I know, I know. I'm cruel. I've left the boys and my readers hanging in suspense. Again! Don't worry they're back next chapter. I promise. So please hang in there, it will be worth it. You know the drill about the little grey button so all I'll say is don't be shy.

And now time to announce the winner. She didn't get it 100% correct but hers was the closest answer. So the winner of a supporting original character in a future fanfic is (drum roll please – come on louder please, I can't hear you! ) is shepsgirl72. Congratulations, time to start working out a description of your character's physical and personality traits and what function you'd like the character play.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 28**

Sheppard heard the noise again a few minutes later and signaled for Rodney to stop.

"What is it?" asked Rodney before he too could hear the unmistakable whine of a Wraith Dart.

Sheppard grabbed Rodney and pulled him towards the cover of the trees. "What are they doing here? This planet isn't inhabited." remarked Sheppard as he watched the sky. He couldn't see the Dart. "It's not getting any closer." Sheppard started moving through the trees in the direction of the cavern. He caught a glimpse of the Wraith ship through a gap in the tree canopy and could see that it was sweeping backwards and forwards. "It looks like it's searching for something."

"Us, no doubt" replied Rodney.

"It might not be." replied Sheppard.

"You think they're searching for the machine?"

"We found the energy signal, so could they." replied Sheppard.

Rodney nodded his head. "The signal we found was weak and we only found it because we were looking for it. They must've detected the huge energy spike when the machine triggered and now they can't find it because it's shutdown."

Another Dart swept through the skies above them. Sheppard paused under the canopy of a large tree waiting until the Dart had moved on. "There must be a hive ship nearby. It must've come to investigate the cause of the signal. Maybe they have the others on board." Sheppard pushed away from the tree and tried to ignore the sensation the movement caused. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to regain control of his stomach and his equilibrium.

"What are you planning, Colonel?"

"To get us a Dart and get on board that hive ship." replied Sheppard as he re-opened his eyes. The trees no longer leaned at an odd angle and only one Rodney stood in front of him with a scowl firmly planted on his face.

"Have you lost your mind? You're in no fit state to take on the Wraith."

"I don't intend to take them on in hand to hand combat" replied Sheppard as he started towards the mountain again.

Rodney picked up his pace to keep up with Sheppard as he hurried back towards the cavern. He could tell that Sheppard was determined to go through with his plan whether he helped him or not. If it was madness with the two of them, it would be plain suicidal on his own. Rodney did not doubt that Sheppard would attempt to carry out the plan on his own if he had to. He had already demonstrated on more than one occasion that he was prepared to sacrifice his own life for the lives of those he considered himself responsible for. That he cared for. Ronon and Teyla definitely fell into that category. _Hell even I care for them._

"I want you to switch that machine on so that they can detect the energy readings again and get the hell out of there. They'll land to investigate. While they are distracted we'll steal a Dart and head for the hive ship."

"It'll never work."

"Have you got a better idea?"

"No" replied Rodney.

Sheppard slowed as he approached the cavern checking that the area was clear of Wraith. "Go Rodney, I'll cover you."

Rodney dashed across the clearing and entered the tunnel. He tried not to think about whether the Wraith had already found the cavern and were waiting inside to suck the life from him. He failed miserably as his hand dropped to the gun in his holster. Rodney found the cavern as empty as they had left it. He placed his weapon on the console within easy reach and tried to remember what he'd done to switch the device on the last time. He reached down to rescue his laptop from the floor, knocking over the torch he'd left there. The white label identifying the torch as part of Jumper One's standard kit stood out in stark contrast in the glow from the laptop screen, catching Rodney's eye. "That's odd." Rodney stared at it for another moment before refocusing on his task. He grabbed his laptop and returned to the console with it. He studied the details on the screen as he adjusted the machine settings before his eyes drifted to the bottom of the screen. He frowned at what he saw.

"Now that's really odd." Rodney eyes strayed back to the torch on the floor as his brain kicked into over-drive.

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Sheppard checked his watch and wondered what was taking Rodney so long. "Damn it, Rodney." He checked that it was still clear and left his cover. He cautiously went down the tunnel listening for the sounds of Wraith but heard none. He didn't hear the noise from the device either. He came out into the cavern and saw Rodney studying his laptop intently. "What's taking so long?"

Rodney started at the sound of Sheppard's voice. "I found something interesting. It explains -"

"Will it get rid of the Wraith?" asked Sheppard hopefully.

"No but -"

"Will it get Teyla and the others back?"

"No."

"Then just switch the thing on and let's get out of here before they find us." ordered Sheppard.

"That's what I was doing when I saw the torch from Jumper One. It explains everything-"

"Rodney, stop rambling and switch the damn thing on!"

"You don't get it. Why should you, you're concussed. I didn't bring the torch from Jumper One I brought my own. I thought I must've been mistaken but then I noticed the date and time on the laptop. According to it we've only been on the planet twenty two hours."

"So?"

"This machine also has a date and time displayed in Ancient. It was the first thing that I recognized on the control panel. According to it 2 months have passed."

"What?" asked Sheppard. His head was throbbing again and all he wanted to do was to slip into oblivion for a few hours but with the Wraith nearby that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. It was all he could do to stay upright; trying to follow what McKay was saying was just too much for his battered wits. "What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that this thing is a time machine. The others aren't on the hive ship. They're in Atlantis. That's why the lights were off. The machine didn't shut down on its own. Someone turned it off, probably Zelenka." replied Rodney. "They're not even looking for us anymore." He watched Sheppard as the information finally sank in. The man looked exhausted and ready to collapse. His face was ashen and sweat was breaking out on his forehead at the effort of remaining upright. Sheppard would fight to the end but even he was no match for a hive full of who knew how many Wraith. "We're so screwed."

"We may be on our own but our plan can still work. If we can steal a Dart then we can go through the Stargate."

"Our codes will have been removed from the computer."

"Doesn't matter. We can gate to another world that we trade with regularly and get word back to Atlantis. We're not screwed until we're dead and we're not dead yet." Sheppard hoped that he sounded more confident than he felt. He could see McKay was worried about his ability to carry out his plan in his current state. The last thing he needed was a distracted McKay. "Now can you set the device to trigger or not?"

McKay looked at the device and tried to remember what he had touched. Had Zelenka changed the settings in his inevitable investigation? Did the machine even work anymore? He was sure that Zelenka and the other scientists would have studied the device as he had done and that would mean that they had most likely changed the settings in their investigation. "Probably." He was damned if he was going to admit to his doubts. "But it might take a while. Maybe you should sit down."

Sheppard shook his head and regretted it as his vision blurred. He put a hand out to the wall to steady himself. "I need to guard the entrance."

"You need to rest, Colonel. When I set this device up to trigger we'll need to move quickly to get out of here before the Wraith show up. I doubt you could outrun a snail at the moment and I sure as hell don't want you passing out in control of a Dart if we even get that far."

Sheppard winced as Rodney's voice increased in volume as he rattled on. He knew he was right though. He needed to rest if he had any hope of carrying out his plan. He could almost hear Beckett's voice admonishing him for even thinking about flying whilst concussed. He sank to the floor and leaned back against the wall. He'd give anything to be back in the infirmary with Beckett's good drugs flowing through his system. Thoughts of Atlantis brought with it thoughts of Elizabeth. It pained him to think that she probably believed he was dead. He closed his eyes and rested his aching head against the cool wall. He knew he felt more for her than he probably should. He pictured her in the red dress that she had worn to the off-world function and felt the same reaction that he had then. His pulse had quickened and he'd been lost for words. She had smiled at him and he had felt like a love-sick teenager on his first date. Her smile had turned to concern when he'd just stood there. Frozen to the spot. He could still remember how dumb he'd felt when he had finally re-mastered control over his voice and all he could say was that she looked nice. Nice. Nice didn't begin describe the half of it. Stood there in that amazing dress he'd never seen a more beautiful woman in his life. A woman he wanted to keep in his life. The woman he loved. He continued to think of her as his exhaustion caught up with him and he fell asleep.

Rodney continued to work on the device checking his laptop from time to time to see if he had the device settings set the same way as before. He looked across at Sheppard, noticing that his head was tilted at an awkward angle. Concerned he moved to his side, relaxing when he heard the even breathing, indicating that Sheppard was sleeping. The man would have a sore neck when he woke but at least he might be slightly more functional with rest. He returned to his work with the device, glancing nervously towards the tunnel realizing that if the Wraith were to discover them now then he was all that stood between them and certain death. His hand reached out to check that his side-arm was there, feeling the small comfort of its presence before turning back to his work.

**TBC**

**A/N:** See he did work it out. I know Zelenka beat him too it but he did have the help of reading instructions. Now let that be a lesson to all of you out there who chose to ignore that little (or sometimes big) booklet that comes with that latest doo-hickey or DYI project. Note to self – repeat this sentence 10 times before buying next doo-hickey – I will read the instruction book this time. Now where was I? Oh yes. I wonder what those Wraith are doing right now? Must be hungry work looking for that annoyingly tantalising energy signature. Maybe there's a take-away (take-out for all those US readers) meal nearby. Anyway you know the drill send a review and I'll reward you all with a new chapter.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 29**

Missing + 7days

Weir sank into her chair at the head of the conference table and looked around at the people sat around the table. They had all returned through the Stargate a short while ago having spent several days examining the Ancient device.

"So you're telling me that this device is a time machine? Like the one Janus built?" asked Weir.

"Actually we think that it was his prototype. The one that the other Elizabeth said he was forced to abandon by the Atlantis Council." replied Zelenka.

"And you think that this device has sent them all forward in time?" asked Weir.

"We analysed the settings based on the texts that Dr Salesi decrypted-" replied Dr Soong.

"Yes. We think that Ronon and Dr Johnson were sent forward in time. We cannot say if that is true for the Colonel and McKay." replied Zelenka.

"Can you reverse the process? Get Ronon and Johnson back?" asked Weir.

"Dr Zelenka does not think so." replied Teyla.

"It transports objects from the space-time that the device is in when it is triggered to the target space-time. They would need to trigger it from their space-time but they would need to re-calibrate the machine to send them back to the right space-time." explained Zelenka.

"Can we send a message through to Ronon?" asked Lorne. "Tell them what they need to know to get themselves back."

Weir looked to the scientists expectantly.

"Possibly." replied Zelenka.

"Did you not say that the device requires someone with the gene to trigger it? Would there not be the risk that they would be transported as well?" asked Teyla.

"It does." replied Dr Salesi "And it is very likely that anyone in that room would be transported along with the message."

"I'll do it." volunteered Lorne.

"You would need one of us to assist you." added Dr Soong.

"No-one is triggering that device again unless you can guarantee me that they will be able to return." stated Weir. "I am not prepared to lose any more personnel."

"I can make no such guarantee." replied Zelenka.

"We are not sure that the device will even work in reverse." added Dr Salesi.

Weir considered all that she had been told about the device. She looked around at the people sat around the table. She would like nothing better than to send a team to bring Sheppard and the others back. "My answer has to stay the same. Dr Zelenka I am happy for you and your team to continue working on this problem. Bring me a different option and I'll consider it. In the meantime, Major, I want you to take a team back to look for the Colonel and the others. Maybe we'll get lucky and they were only sent a few days into the future."

"Yes, ma'am" replied Lorne.

Weir left the conference room and made her way quickly to her balcony. She grasped the railing; her head hung low and her eyes closed as she struggled with the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. _How will Atlantis survive without them? How will I without him?_

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Missing + 1 month

Carson found Weir working in her office. "Elizabeth, do you know how late it is?"

Weir looked up from her laptop. "Hi Carson, just finishing off some reports."

"You can do that tomorrow."

"You've been taking lessons from the Colonel."

"We both care about you. Some people have expressed their concerns about how hard you have been pushing yourself. Are you still having trouble sleeping?"

Weir nodded.

"It's been a month. Maybe it's time to accept that they're not coming back."

"I don't know how to do that." replied Weir.

"It's hard I know but you cannot keep sending teams back to that planet forever. At some point you have to stop."

"I know you're right, Carson. But they could turn up tomorrow. If we stop looking it's like we're giving up on them."

"If McKay could've gotten them back from wherever they were sent he would've by now. Come on, luv, let me get you something to help you sleep."

Weir nodded and followed him out of her office.

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Missing + 5 weeks

"You wanted to see me, ma'am?" asked Lorne.

"Yes, Major. I want you to call off the search for the Colonel and the others."

"Ma'am?"

"I think it's time to accept that we are not going to find them. I'll send a report to the SGC, I'm sure that they'll want to send replacements, in the meantime you're acting CO."

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Missing + 6 weeks

Beckett found her leaning on the railing of her balcony looking out across the vast city towards the ocean beyond. She continued to study the waves despite the sound of his footsteps as he approached. He remembered that she used this balcony as a refuge from the demands of being the leader; when a moment of calm reflection was required before jumping back into the fray. He recalled that Sheppard had also used this balcony for the same reason frequently sharing it with Weir.

"I hear that you have appointed Major Lorne and Radek in place of the Colonel and Rodney."

"You were right. It's taken me 10 days to accept that but you were right. We have to move on and no-one else will if I can't."

"We could hold a memorial service for them. Give everyone the chance to say good-bye. Give yourself a chance to move on."

"I'm not ready to say goodbye, Carson. I'm not sure I'll ever be. But you're right they deserve a memorial service. I'm just not..."

"Would you like me to make the arrangements?"

Weir nodded. "Thank you." She knew this was the right thing to do for the people left on Atlantis but in her heart it felt wrong. It felt like she was giving up on him and like she had said she wasn't ready for that. It felt like a betrayal of faith and of hope. Above all it felt final. She hoped dearly that she was wrong; that they hadn't truly lost four more good men to the vagaries of the Pegasus galaxy.

**TBC**

**A/N:** I know it was a short chapter but don't worry the next one is not far away. Don't worry the boys will be back in the next chapter. I just thought Elizabeth deserved her own share of the limelight for a change. So what next? Oh yes time for you to push that little grey button at the bottom of the page and leave a review.


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

A special thank you to Linda Gagne who posed the question as to why Rodney didn't just use the machine to revert them back to their original point in time. Hopefully this revised version explains it to your satisfaction. For those who do not wish to re-read it I suggest you check out the Cliff notes at the bottom to see what has changed.

Oh and if you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are appreciated and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 30**

Finally Rodney knew it was time to wake Sheppard. The device was set back to the state it was found it in. He still wasn't sure how he had triggered it. He hadn't touched anything at the time. He squatted beside his sleeping friend and put a hand on his uninjured shoulder. Normally that was all it would take to wake him. Sheppard never truly relaxed when off-world, always sleeping lightly, always alert for danger. Not this time though. Sheppard didn't even stir at his touch. Rodney inspected his friend's face closely, taking in the nasty bruising around the dried blood near his hairline. "You need to wake up, Colonel." Rodney gently shook his shoulder eliciting a groan from his friend. "That's it." He continued to shake him gently until his friend's eyes opened. Rodney watched him as he blinked several times, adjusting to the light in the room. He didn't have the medical training that Beckett had but even he could see that Sheppard's pupils reacted slowly to the change in brightness. "Are you sure we can pull this off?" asked McKay.

Sheppard turned his attention to McKay and saw the worry on his face. Worry for him. "I'll hold up my end of the plan." stated Sheppard "Is the device ready?"

"Yes. I've been thinking…"

"About?" asked Sheppard as he let McKay help him to his feet. The change in position set his head throbbing and his shoulder was letting him know it didn't like the move either. He chose to ignore it and concentrate on the task at hand.

"What if the Wraith figure out what this device is? They could use it to go back in time and lay in wait for our arrival in Atlantis" replied Rodney, holding onto Sheppard until he was sure he wouldn't fall down again.

"Then we'd be screwed." Sheppard took a step towards his backpack before turning back to face Rodney. "Why not send us back in time?"

"I thought about that too. You barely survived the first trip what makes you think you can survive another one?"

"I'm willing to risk it. Can it be done?" asked Sheppard.

"In theory and with time then yes. Probably. But…"

"Then do it."

"You don't understand, Colonel. I have to turn the device on in order to try and work out the necessary settings required to send us back to the precise time. It would take too long. There's a whole Hive ship out there looking for this thing, we'd be Wraith snacks long before I could work it out and they'd have all the time in the world to work out how to overcome the ATA gene activation. It's too big a risk."

Sheppard rubbed at his aching head as he thought about Rodney's answer. "You're sure about this? Atlantis-"

"I've never been more sure." Rodney could swear that he could see the cogs trying to turn in the Colonel's battered skull. He never liked destroying Ancient technology but this would be one time that he thought he could live with it. He just hoped that Atlantis would still be there waiting for them if they ever made it back.

"So back to Plan A then. I'll lay a couple of C4 charges. We can trigger them remotely. Destroy the machine and kill a few Wraith at the same time." Sheppard was already turning back to his pack for the C4 and did not notice Rodney sighing with relief.

Rodney wasn't sure he liked the idea of a concussed person, even a military one, handling explosives but he liked the idea of the Wraith figuring out the device and using it to destroy Atlantis even less. "Just don't blow us up by mistake."

Sheppard laid the charges taking longer with the use of only one arm for the job. "I'm done now get this thing started."

"Maybe you should get a head start. Make sure the coast is clear."

Sheppard reluctantly agreed. "Make sure you're not far behind."

Rodney nodded as Sheppard lifted his pack onto his good shoulder and left him alone with the device. He already had his equipment packed into his backpack and sitting by the door waiting for him. He looked around the room one last time, sighing at the thought of destroying such an amazing piece of Ancient technology. While working on resetting the device he had finally worked out what had initiated it. Sheppard had stepped onto the platform, his gene doing the rest. Rodney stepped onto the platform, hoping that his gene was strong enough to repeat the performance. He was rewarded by a faint vibration. Keen not to be transported to another time zone he quickly moved off the platform and grabbed his backpack as he made his way out of the mountain. He found Sheppard waiting for him just inside the opening. "It's on."

"Okay move." Sheppard led McKay into the trees far enough away to be hidden from the Wraith but close enough to see them when they approached. Sheppard checked his watch again. "Why aren't they coming any closer? They must've detected the signal by now?" Sheppard looked towards Rodney and asked "You did definitely turn that thing on?"

Rodney gave Sheppard a dirty look. "Of course I did."

"Then why haven't they detected the energy signature?"

"How should I know?"

Sheppard looked back around the tree to check for any activity, rubbing at his eyes with his right hand as his vision blurred.

Rodney was watching him wondering how long Sheppard could keep going. He was distracted when the ground began to shake violently. "Told you it was on."

"That should get their attention." stated Sheppard. The shaking grew much worse and they struggled to stay on their feet. Sheppard lost his footing and fell landing on his injured arm. He nearly passed out as the pain intensified. He saw Rodney move towards him. "The Wraith, Rodney. Keep a watch for Wraith."

Rodney nodded his head and checked to see if any Wraith had appeared. Sheppard forced himself back onto his knees and used the tree for support. Beads of perspiration covered his forehead from the effort required to stay upright.

The shaking intensified and then a loud crack reverberated through the mountains. Both Sheppard and Rodney were flung to the ground. Rodney was dazed for a moment his ears still ringing. _Did it sound that loud to Ronon and Teyla?_

"If that doesn't get their attention then nothing will." He glanced over at Sheppard when there was no response. Sheppard still lay on the ground, not moving. Rodney moved to his side and saw that Sheppard's eyes were closed. "Great you would choose now to pass out." He made sure that Sheppard was not visible from the clearing and then took the C4 detonator control from Sheppard's Tac-vest before propping himself next to Sheppard, his hand resting on his side-arm. He could do this. He had seen Sheppard do this on numerous occasions. "How hard can it be?" He looked up when he heard the sound of a Dart pass nearby followed by another much closer.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh dear, Rodney in charge of explosives. Is that a good idea? Will the plan work or will the Wraith find them before then? Sorry you'll have to wait until after the commercial break to find out. It'll be worth it so take this brief interlude to lodge a review. You know you want to. You'll be glad you did. Just press that little grey button. It's so easy.

**A/N Cliff Notes:** Essentially Rodney doesn't use the machine to go back in time because the Wraith are breathing down his neck and he still has no idea how to actually set it correctly to go to a specific point in time of his choosing. To even attempt this task he would have to turn the device on but given it is the energy signal that the Wraith are tracking that would bring the Wraith to them like moths to a flame. Even Sheppard can't take on a Hive full of Wraith heading his way with just his P-90 to protect him not when there is the added risk of the Wraith getting their hands on a device that could potentially change the history of the Atlantis mission should they be able to bypass the ATA gene activation.


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Special Note: A minor change has been made to Chapter 30 – so you may wish to re-read the chapter or read the Cliff Notes at the bottom of that chapter.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 31**

Ronon pushed himself upright and looked towards the device. He spotted Johnson on the floor next to the machine and went to his aid as the scientist attempted to stand. "What happened?"

"I…I don't know. The device triggered obviously but we're still here." replied Johnson.

Ronon looked around the room, stopping when his eyes fell on an object that hadn't noticed before. He moved closer to inspect it and recognized it straight away. C4. He moved around the room and spotted the discarded foil packet on the floor. _Sheppard. It has to be._ A quick inspection of the room revealed more C4. "Doc, grab your stuff we need to get out of here. Now!"

Johnson looked up at the big man. "What?"

"This place is set to blow and we don't want to be here when it does."

Johnson didn't need any further motivation grabbing his laptop and shoving it into his backpack as he started towards the tunnel. Ronon followed him glad that he didn't need to manhandle the scientist to get him moving quickly.

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Rodney looked up when he heard the whine of a Dart as it passed near their position heading in the direction of the clearing that the jumpers had been parked in earlier. Much earlier as it had turned out.

He heard another sound much closer and looked towards Sheppard to find him still unconscious. The sound came again and he realized that it was a voice that he could hear. He turned, straining to determine the direction it was coming from as his hand reached for his hand-gun. He knew the Wraith could move quickly but surely not even they could get to the mountain this quickly and they would not be in the tunnel which was where the sound of the voice had come to him from. He was sure of it.

A quiet groan sounded near him and he realized that Sheppard was regaining consciousness. He kept his eyes on the entrance to the tunnel willing Sheppard's return to consciousness to be quick and quiet. He did not want to be trapped between the Wraith and some unknown threat. He risked a glance in Sheppard's direction when he groaned again to find Sheppard's eyes open and a hand massaging his bruised temple.

"Are you sure that you're up to this?" whispered Rodney.

Sheppard continued to massage his temple as he remembered where they were and the predicament they were in. "It's not like we have a choice, Rodney. The Wraith?"

"Flew over a couple of minutes ago. Probably landed in the clearing where we parked the jumper." replied Rodney turning back to look at the tunnel entrance. He thought he saw movement near the entrance but it could've been his imagination. _And it could be that voice you heard._

Sheppard started to push himself into a sitting position when Rodney put a hand out and stopped him saying "Take it easy for a minute. I can trigger the C4."

Sheppard sank back down and said "When you see them make sure you give them enough time to get close to the machine before you trigger the C4."

Rodney nodded and turned back to watch the tunnel entrance. A moment later he was surprised to see Ronon step out of the tunnel. "Ronon?" Rodney stood.

Ronon noticed the movement in the trees and was instantly alert pointing his blaster in the direction of the shadowy figure. Then to his surprise Rodney stepped from the trees.

"McKay? Where's Sheppard?" asked Ronon.

Sheppard heard Rodney mention Ronon's name but it took a moment to register. He saw Rodney step out from the trees and pushed himself to his feet as quickly as he could. His vision blurred and he wiped at his eyes before stepping up to the edge of the clearing ready to provide Rodney with covering fire. He spotted the remote detonator on the ground and realised Rodney had dropped it. _Dammit, Rodney._ He picked it up and slipped it into his pocket as he returned his attention to the clearing.

"Quick over here." called Rodney never more grateful to see the Satedan. "The Wraith will be here in a few minutes we've got to get out of here."

Ronon looked back towards the tunnel entrance and signalled. A moment later, Dr Johnson stepped out into the daylight looking surprised at the sight of snow. Ronon grabbed his arm and steered him across the clearing and into the trees where he spotted Sheppard looking worse for wear.

"Not you as well." stated Sheppard listing to one side. Rodney automatically reached out a hand to steady him.

"You just had to play with the device, didn't you Johnson?" commented Rodney.

"Maybe next time I won't try to rescue you, McKay." replied Ronon moving closer to his team leader.

"Great rescue." said Rodney.

"Not now." replied Sheppard ignoring the scrutiny Ronon was giving him and turning back to watch the entrance "We have to find better cover before the Wraith arrive and we need to be quiet."

Ronon removed his weapon from its holster and checked that it was set to kill. He could handle killing a few more Wraith. He followed Sheppard as he moved further away from the path but kept his line of sight on the tunnel entrance. Sheppard leant against the tree using its bulk to hide him from view. Ronon took his position behind the tree to his left looking across at his friend.

"You okay?" whispered Ronon.

"Of course he's not." replied Rodney from Sheppard's right.

"Quiet, Rodney." ordered Sheppard.

Ronon continued to watch his friend. Sheppard must have sensed his eyes on him still as he turned to look in his direction. Ronon didn't like what he could see.

"I'm ..." He was going to say fine but the look on Ronon's face told him that Ronon wouldn't believe him. "I'm not fine but I'm good enough."

Ronon accepted his admission and turned his attention back to the tunnel entrance in time to see several Wraith step into the clearing. Ronon raised his weapon and lined up on the nearest Wraith.

"Save it." whispered Sheppard. "We want them to find the device. Then I'll ..." Sheppard held up the remote detonator.

"Hey...How'd you get that back?" asked Rodney.

Sheppard held a finger to his lips to silence Rodney.

The Wraith spotted the tunnel entrance and headed straight for it. One after another they disappeared inside oblivious to the eyes that watched their passage.

Rodney studied the life signs detector in his hand. "That's all of them. This might actually work." He looked up to see Sheppard pushing himself away from the tree.

"Be ready to move." said Sheppard. He tried to ignore his blurry vision as he silently counted out the seconds, hoping that he had judged the progress of the Wraith correctly. He raised the detonator and pushed the button. They waited for the sound of the explosion to reach them but nothing happened. "Crap." He pushed the button again before he remembered that his radio hadn't worked in the tunnel.

"What's wrong?" asked Ronon.

"The mountain's blocking the signal." replied Sheppard moving towards the tunnel.

"Are you crazy? You can't go back in there."

"Leave it Rodney." replied Sheppard.

Ronon yanked the detonator from Sheppard's hand before Sheppard had time to react and raced to the tunnel entrance. Sheppard moved to follow him but Rodney's hand on his arm restrained him. He tried to pull away from Rodney's grasp but the grip on his arm only tightened.

"Let him go, Colonel." Rodney succeeded in pulling Sheppard back to the tree line.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no will Ronon make the ultimate sacrifice for his friends? You know I'm not going to answer that of course. But I will say there is more action to come so stay tuned. You know the drill, leave a review and you get another chapter.


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 32**

A moment later a violent explosion could be heard that caused the mountain to shake as the tunnel collapsed in on itself and started a landslide as part of the mountain gave way. The ground around them shook violently and knocked them off their feet. Rodney landed on top of Sheppard knocking the air out of him.

"Did you have to use that much C4?" asked Rodney checking himself for injuries then realizing that Sheppard hadn't responded. "Sheppard?"

Sheppard felt dazed and sore. "Rodney get off me."

Rodney turned his head and saw Sheppard underneath him and his backpack. "Oh crap." remarked Rodney as he scrambled to his feet. He reached down and helped Sheppard up holding on to him until he managed to find his equilibrium.

"I don't believe it." remarked Dr Johnson looking towards the tunnel.

"What?" asked Rodney. He saw Johnson pointing and looked in the same direction. Emerging from the remains of the tunnel entrance was a tall figure covered in dirt. He grabbed for his side-arm before he recognized the dreadlocks and realized that it was Ronon. He continued to stare at him as the man limped towards them. As he got closer he could see the blood on his thigh. There was more on his arm.

"Are you alright?" asked Rodney amazed that anyone in the mountain could've survived the explosion.

"Yeah." replied Ronon. He looked from Rodney to Sheppard. "They're all dead." He peered closely at Sheppard's face. "You look worse. What happened?"

"Rodney's backpack." replied Sheppard.

Rodney scowled in response. "It wasn't deliberate."

"What wasn't?" asked Ronon.

"Dr McKay fell on him when the mountain exploded." replied Johnson.

"It was an accident, okay." added Rodney aware of the look Ronon was giving him.

"Now what?" asked Ronon, turning his attention back to their current situation.

"We head back towards the clearing. More Wraith are bound to arrive and investigate." replied Sheppard "When they do we'll steal a Dart."

"I still think you're crazy. You're in no fit state to fly." stated Rodney.

Sheppard turned to him feeling a complaint from his ribs as he did so and asked. "Would you rather stay here to live out the remainder of your life?"

Rodney shook his head.

"I didn't think so. Let's move out." Sheppard started out in the direction of the Darts keeping within the trees.

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Sheppard stopped at the edge of the clearing, crouching down. Ahead of him sat four Wraith Darts conveniently parked. He couldn't see any Wraith near the ships. As he watched he heard the distinctive sound that indicated more Wraith vessels were approaching their position.

Ronon dropped down beside him, studying Sheppard's face. "Are you sure about this?"

Sheppard looked at Ronon. "Worried that I'll crash it into the ground?"

"Yeah" replied Ronon

Sheppard replied "Don't."

"Now that's just over confidence." added Rodney as he sank to the ground.

"I didn't say I wouldn't crash." replied Sheppard with a smirk on his face.

"That's just great. How do you expect us to not worry now?" asked Rodney.

Rodney looked across at Ronon, hoping for some support. Instead he found Ronon watching him with an amused look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something more, stopping when the approaching Dart appeared over the clearing in front of them.

It turned half-circle and lowered to the ground, squeezing in beside the others. The clearing was fast looking like a Dart sale-yard. Silence descended again as the engines shut down and the canopy slid back, revealing the long white hair of another Wraith. They watched as the Wraith climbed out of the vessel and looked around the clearing. Obviously satisfied by what he saw he leaned back into the vessel and extracted something. They were too far away to see what it was. When he straightened, the canopy slid shut. The Wraith remained by the vessels looking up at the sky.

Sheppard glanced up to see what he was looking for then heard it. Another Dart cleared the trees and landed. The two Wraith appeared to consult the device before both heading in the direction of the mountain. Sheppard watched them as they departed until they were lost from sight.

Sheppard returned his attention to the clearing and the Darts parked in the middle. There appeared to be no movement from within and no movement in the surrounding area. Sheppard turned to the others and said "Wait here. Once I've got the Dart into the air I'll bring it back around to scoop you all up and then take us through the gate."

"What about the hive ship?" asked Rodney. "Don't you think they'll notice a renegade Dart."

"I don't see that we have a choice" replied Sheppard massaging his temples again.

"The device is destroyed. We could just wait for them to leave." suggested Rodney.

"They're not going to leave any working Darts behind, Rodney." replied Sheppard.

Rodney looked across at the Darts. Sheppard watched him aware that something was going on in the scientist's head. He was confident that Rodney would come up with a solution. He usually did when he was under pressure.

"I can probably rig the other Darts to overload when they try to shut-down inside the hive ship. It should be enough to severely damage the hive."

"Won't they follow us rather than return to the hive?" asked Ronon.

"Not if they don't see us." replied Sheppard.

"The Darts don't have a cloak." stated Johnson.

"Don't need one." replied Sheppard. "I can hide the Dart's signal in the mountains. They'll never see it."

"You hope." said Rodney.

"It's our only shot, Rodney. Rig the Darts." ordered Sheppard.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh dear, Ronon has joined the walking wounded. Can Rodney and Johnson survive unscathed? Can Sheppard really fly a Dart with a concussion? Will they Wraith find them before he get's the chance to find out? To find out you'll have to pay the price for the next chapter. It's going cheap at the price of one review each. Just click on that grey button.


	33. Chapter 33

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 33**

Rodney stepped out into the clearing followed by Johnson. They worked quickly, moving between the vessels. Ronon kept watch having convinced Sheppard to rest while he could knowing the injured man would need all of his remaining strength and more to pilot the alien ship to the nearest stargate three hours away.

Rodney and Johnson finished their tasks and headed back towards Ronon.

"It's done." stated Rodney.

"Are you sure that it'll work?" asked Ronon.

"It will work." replied Rodney.

Ronon crouched by Sheppard's side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's time Sheppard."

Sheppard opened his eyes and rubbed at his face. Ronon helped him to his feet and stayed close.

Rodney joined them holding out his hand. "Take these, Colonel. You look like you need them."

Sheppard looked down to see a couple of pills in Rodney's hand. "I need a clear head."

"These won't make you drowsy."

"Sheppard, just take the tablets." added Ronon.

Sheppard took the tablets and washed them down with the water Rodney handed him. "Okay let's do this." stated Sheppard. Sheppard checked the clearing before breaking cover and heading towards the nearest Dart. He was still short of the vessel when another Dart appeared in the air heading straight for the clearing. "Crap." He was too far from the trees to return to them and too far from the vessels on the ground.

"He's too far away. He'll never make it." said Rodney.

Ronon saw Sheppard drop to the ground and realized that the pilot of the Dart would still be able to see him. He stepped out from the tree-line with his weapon raised, moving away from his team-mates, determined to draw the attention of the Wraith to himself and give Sheppard the chance to make it to the parked vessel.

The pilot of the Dart spotted Ronon and altered his course, initiating the transport beam. Ronon dove into the trees to avoid the edge of the beam, grunting at the force of the impact. He scrambled back to his feet to take another shot before he realized the craft had turned its attention to Sheppard having spotted him as he neared the parked vessels.

It fired upon Sheppard, the blast narrowly missing him as he threw himself between the parked Darts. Another blast came hitting the Dart he had disappeared behind, shattering the canopy. Rodney cautiously peered around the tree he was using for protection. He couldn't see Sheppard anywhere but he could see the smoke rising from the damaged Dart. He was thinking the worst when he saw Ronon point to the second Dart.

"He's in. Get ready to move." yelled Ronon.

"What about the other Dart?" asked Rodney pointing at the vessel in the air.

"I'll take care of it." replied Ronon running back out into the clearing.

Sheppard ignored the sound of the approaching craft and concentrated on starting up the Dart as quickly as he could, clenching his jaw as the rapid movements sent waves of pain through his battered body. He knew on the ground he was an easy target, he needed to get into the air to improve his chances. He heard the engines fire and reached up to slam the canopy into place cutting off his view of the approaching Dart.

Ronon watched as Sheppard got the Dart off the ground and threw it into a tight turn to bring it into a face-off with the Wraith's ship.

"We're dead." said Rodney as he watched the two craft dodge and weave around each other.

"If anyone can make this work, it's Sheppard" stated Ronon as he limped towards them.

"Hallo? He's concussed and has who knows how many broken bones. Even he's not invincible, contrary to popular belief." replied Rodney.

"Which one is the Colonel?" asked Johnson from the safety of his tree.

"Uh…the one in front…I think." replied Rodney. He continued to watch the battle but he quickly lost track of which Dart was being piloted by his best friend and which was under the control of the Wraith. He held his breath as one Dart succeeded in firing off a shot hitting the other in the rear engine. A plume of thick black smoke started to stream out from behind the Dart as it plummeted out of the sky like a stone. Moments later the craft hit the ground hard, its momentum carrying it forward until it plowed into the trees to their right. Smoke continued to rise from the rear of the vessel. The canopy appeared undamaged and Rodney expected it to open at any moment.

**TBC**

**A/N:** I know, I know. It was a short chapter. Who is in the downed Dart? Sheppard or the Wraith? I think I guess who you'd all like it to be. Drop me a line with that button at the bottom of the screen. We'll return to the story after these important messages, so go make your cup of tea while you have your chance as the next part will be a lot longer.


	34. Chapter 34

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 34**

"Who won?" asked Rodney as he continued to watch the downed vessel.

Ronon turned his attention to the sky looking for the remaining Dart. He spotted it as it came in low over the trees heading towards the smoking vessel. He continued to watch as it opened fire, sending clods of dirt erupting from the ground in a line that continued until it reached the vessel, scoring several direct hits. The plume of smoke increased as the damaged engine disintegrated under the barrage followed by the sound of metal being torn apart. The weapons fire continued beyond the vessel hitting the surrounding trees before it ceased. The sudden quiet seemed unreal compared to the noise that had preceded it. Ronon saw movement and spun towards it with his weapon raised only to see one of the damaged trees begin its slow descent. It quickly picked up speed until it fell onto the crippled vehicle crushing what was left of the canopy.

The remaining Dart reappeared at the far edge of the clearing coming in low and slow. Ronon watched it approach. The blue beam appeared and Ronon grinned before turning to the others. "Time to go." Ronon grabbed Johnson by his sleeve and pushed him out into the clearing. Rodney glanced at the downed craft nervously as he followed Johnson. Ronon brought up the rear, his weapon still raised in case the noise of the dog-fight brought the other Wraith back from the mountain before they had made good their escape. The beam moved closer as the pilot spotted them. Moments later all three were swallowed by the beam, vanishing as the Dart rose higher and disappeared into the mountains.

Sheppard followed the valleys, keeping the Dart as low as he dared. His eyes watched the controls as he flew through the narrow passage between the rock faces on either side. He would have preferred to see the terrain through the cockpit rather than having to rely solely on the instruments meant for a Wraith. He took the Dart on a route that carried him back to their starting point and found a spot where he could hover and not be seen from the ground. He watched the screen that would tell him if the other Darts were still on the ground to see the image of two Darts rising into the atmosphere. He held his breath as they circled around and then took off away from the mountains. _Maybe this can work._ He knew that the only way to tell whether Rodney's modifications to the other Darts had worked or not was to leave the safety of the radar clutter caused by the mountains and take the Dart into space to check for the hive ship. If the plan had failed then the hive ship would still be there and they would be unlikely to survive the ensuing battle. He had no choice. He had to take the risk but he swore to himself that he would not let his friends be captured and fed on by a Wraith. Either the plan worked or he would ensure that they were not captured alive.

He took the Dart up through the atmosphere following the path taken by the Wraith while he kept a close eye on the sensor that would tell him if a flood of Darts were heading his way but the screen remained clear. He should've shown up on their sensors shortly after leaving the planet and the Wraith weren't known for any subtlety in their battle strategy so he didn't suspect a trap. Either the Darts had overloaded and taken out the hive ship as planned or they thought he was just another Dart returning to the mother ship. No hive ship showed up on the sensor but he knew the range of the Dart's sensors didn't match that of the hive ship, so just because he couldn't see them didn't mean that they couldn't see him. He'd find out soon enough.

"Time to go home." Sheppard turned the small craft towards the distant moon where the Stargate was located. He monitored the sensor to see if any vessels large or small followed him and breathed a sigh of relief when no other blips appeared on the screen. He hoped their luck would continue to hold and allow him to stay conscious for the three hour flight to the Stargate.

He was soon finding that it was getting harder to keep his eyes open despite the headache and the aches throughout his body. The contrast between the bright screens and the dark cockpit ratcheted up his headache by several notches as the images burned into his eyes. His vision had blurred a couple of times as exhaustion and his injuries caught up with him. He didn't know how much longer he could fight off the inevitable. Stubbornness and determination had gotten him this far but soon even that wouldn't make a difference. Time was fast becoming his new enemy as he tried to squeeze some extra speed out of the Dart in a bid to get his friends safely to a friendly planet. Thoughts of the Alpha site drifted into his mind but he quickly dismissed that when he realized that to his men he would appear to be the enemy and they would most likely shoot first and not ask questions. One of their friendly trading partners without weapons capable of shooting the Dart down before he could unload his friends and land was a much safer option. His preferred option. Then he could let his friends take over while he slid into a pain-free oblivion.

He jerked awake wondering how long he'd been asleep. He ran his eyes over the controls and realized that it could only have been for a few seconds and he was still more or less on course. He corrected his direction and allowed his thoughts to drift back to Atlantis. He knew that they would have looked for them. Done everything they could to find them and bring them back. He hoped the reason that they hadn't been successful had nothing to do with the increased Wraith activity that he'd noticed in recent missions. He would know the answer within a few hours.

He still could not believe that they had been gone for two months from Atlantis' point of view. Now he understood how they had felt when they'd rescued him from the time dilation field. What had felt like six months to him had been mere hours to his friends. He remembered that Elizabeth had come after him that time, ostensibly to translate the Ancient writing but he knew there were others on Atlantis that could do that.

He wondered whether she had searched for him this time. Did she care for him the way he cared for her? Dare he even let himself consider the possibility? He knew she took her responsibility as head of Atlantis seriously and would not allow anything to interfere with her ability to carry out her responsibilities. Any relationship beyond the friendship that they had could be seen as interfering with that ability given their positions as the two most senior personnel. Even if she allowed their friendship to go further he doubted that the IOA or the SGC would approve and that would only make matters harder for her. And given the battles she had already fought with the IOA he knew she was the one that would ultimately pay the price if he let her know how he felt about her. She was better off not knowing. Better to let her think that the Kirk reputation McKay had labeled him with really did represent who he was. Someone not reliable in a relationship, someone not worth risking a career on.

He dragged himself away from his thoughts and back to his current situation, checking the sensor he noticed that he was nearing the gate. As he approached he entered an address for a safe planet where they could dump the Dart before returning to Atlantis and pressed the button to start the dialing sequence. The console beeped to let him know that a stable wormhole had been established. The Dart approached the event horizon as his vision blurred. He tried to blink it away as the Dart entered the worm-hole. Exiting at the other end, Sheppard felt like his brain had been scrambled and he struggled to work out which way was up.

His vision was still blurred as he ran his eyes over the console before him. He noticed that his altitude was changing rapidly and his brain finally kicked in as it recognized that the double set of numbers he could see were rapidly decreasing in size. He was currently heading straight for the ground in a nose-dive. He pulled the Dart up hoping that he still had time to level off before the altitude dropped to zero but the laws of gravity seemed reluctant to release their grasp on his vessel as he fought with the foreign controls. To be this far from the ground in the first place, he realized he must've been totally disoriented and had been heading back into space when he'd exited the gate before he'd been turned around again. Flying with a concussion was definitely not one of his best ideas. He finally got the vessel back under control and descended to a safe release altitude before flicking the switch to reverse the transport beam and unload his precious cargo.

Ronon looked up to see the Dart as it clipped the top of the nearby trees.

"He could've found somewhere dry to drop us off." complained Rodney as he looked down at the water that swirled around his knees. He climbed out of the water onto the embankment and looked up to see Ronon already out of the water and racing off towards the trees. "Wha.." Then he saw what had grabbed Ronon's attention. A Dart. The Dart that Sheppard was flying. And it was out of control. "Shit." He took off as fast as he could leaving Johnson on his own.

**TBC**

**A/N:** She's done it again. Another cliff-hanger. And dished out more trouble Shep's way. Will he be okay? Will they all make it safely home? Stay tuned for more. Oh and please leave a review.


	35. Chapter 35

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Yes, I know I re-published this chapter but after **Yours. Truly. Emily's** review I decided that she was right and that I hadn't done this chapter the justice that it deserved. The outcome hasn't changed but the journey has hopefully improved. Drop me a line and let me know what you think and thanks to everyone for their continued support. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do before the journey comes to an end. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 35**

The Dart hit the ground at a sharp angle, the nose buckling as it dug into the ground. The forward momentum carried the rear of the vessel forward flipping it over several times. The nose of the vessel was the first part to break off barely slowing the ship's forward momentum. The next to go was a wing as the tip caught on a large boulder, its loss changing the centre of gravity of the stricken vessel affecting the direction of rotation bring the other wing into contact with the ground. It too was stripped from the vessel as it left a trail of debris and damaged landscape behind it. Last to go before the ship finally screeched to a stop resting against an earth embankment was an engine. The silence that followed was broken only by the sound of damaged wiring arcing in the one engine that remained as the smoke continued to pour out marking it's final resting spot.

Ronon followed the trail of destruction wondering whether his friend could have survived such a violent landing. He forced himself to move faster, to overcome the pain that was flaring in his injured leg and use it to drive him forward. He heard the sound of the crash. The sound of a vessel being torn apart in its dying moments, the sound of tearing metal coming to him carried by the wind, sounds drawn out as gravity and friction worked on slowing the vessel. How far away the Dart was when the sounds ceased he could not tell. All he knew was that his friend needed him and he could not, would not let him down.

The ground beneath his feet started to rise as he approached the small crest. Soon his lungs were burning with the effort required to maintain his speed as the blood loss from the injury to his thigh began to exact its price. How much damage had it sustained in the process? Much if the sounds he heard were any indication. He cleared his mind not wanting his thoughts to distract him from his purpose. He paused at the top of the crest and scanned the small valley that lay before him. He could see the scar that the Dart had carved into the damp earth stretching away to the horizon drawing his eye to the rising black smoke in the distance marking where his friend probably lay. Hopefully still alive. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted McKay doing his best to catch up. He was still quite a distance behind him but not so far that he couldn't see the pained look on his face as the scientist placed physical demands on his body that it was still ill-trained for even after all this time on Sheppard's team.

"Pick up the pace, McKay." yelled Ronon. He saw McKay lift his head and look in his direction, misery and worry combining on his face. Satisfied that his words had caused an increase in McKay's pace he turned his attention back towards the valley and began making his way down the slippery slope, slithering his way down as quickly as he could his arms spread out to maintain his balance as the mud threatened to take his feet out from under him.

His feet quickly found the base of the valley and he raced along following the deep gouge willing the distance between him and the downed craft to shorten as he passed what appeared to be the remains of one wing. He came across the other wing a short time later grimacing as he thought about the chances of surviving a crash that could wreak so much damage. The land beneath his feet began to rise again as he finally approached the embankment that had become the final resting spot for the Dart. He only hoped it wasn't the final resting place for his friend.

Smoke still rose from the single remaining engine as it slowly burnt itself out, the smell turning the air acrid as he neared. He could see the main capsule now and it appeared to be in one piece. Could his friend have survived? The canopy was still closed increasing the concern that his friend might be dead or too injured to open the canopy himself? He pushed the thoughts from his mind, he'd know the answers soon enough. He reached for the canopy and gave it a tug but it refused to budge.

He tried again putting all of his weight behind it, grunting with the effort but still it refused to move. His fist hit the canopy as a growl of frustration left his throat. He stared at the spot he had hit hoping to see a mark, some sign that he could break through the material that was between him and Sheppard. At the same time he listened for some sign that his friend was still alive and had heard him. Hearing nothing he took a step back and pulled his blaster from its holster aiming it at the point where the canopy joined the body of the vessel.

He heard Rodney gasping for breath before he saw him, face red and barely able to stand as he tried to gulp in enough air to satisfy his body's demands. He saw Rodney's gaze travel from his own face to the weapon he held in his hand and where it was pointed.

"Oh…that'll…help…him." managed Rodney between gulps of air.

"You got a better idea to get this thing open?" asked Ronon slipping his weapon back into it's holster.

McKay stepped over to the vessel and leaned in to inspect the mechanism that kept the canopy locked shut before holding his hand out and looking back at Ronon. "Matter of fact, I do. Give me one of your knives."

Ronon reached into his hair and pulled out a small knife handing it over to Rodney who took the weapon and slid the blade into the locking mechanism. A few moments of careful manipulation later and he was rewarded by a soft click as the mechanism released. Rodney moved to the other side of the vessel and repeated the maneuver, grinning when he heard the second click.

"Try it now."

Ronon pulled on the canopy again. "It's still stuck."

McKay added his weight to Ronon's but it made no difference. Johnson arrived moments later his breathing worse than McKay's had been. Ronon gave him a look of disgust, perhaps he would discuss the necessity for scientists to undergo fitness training to prepare them for off-world missions with Sheppard when they returned to Atlantis. Johnson noticed what they were attempting to do and added his weight to McKay's.

Ronon was starting to think that the canopy was never going to shift and their friend would remain trapped when he felt it give slightly. "It's moving." The news spurred the others on and finally the canopy slid open.

"Is he…" asked Rodney too scared to complete his question.

Sheppard was slumped over, his eyes closed and the side of his face covered in fresh blood. Ronon reached into the vessel and felt for a pulse. "He's alive."

"Thank god." replied Rodney "Should we be moving him? What about spinal injuries?"

Ronon paused in his movement to pull Sheppard from the Dart. "He could die if we wait to get help from Atlantis." He didn't wait for a response from Rodney before lifting Sheppard from the cockpit and carrying his limp form away from the still smouldering craft laying him gently on ground.

Rodney followed his movements with his eyes shocked to see how lifeless his best friend looked. He swallowed down the revulsion that the sight of so much blood caused. He never had been good with sick or injured people but this seemed to be his destiny in the Pegasus galaxy especially where Sheppard was concerned. He tried to shake off his fear that Sheppard wouldn't make it back to Atlantis alive and moved to join Ronon as he started to check his injuries. Kneeling down by Sheppard's head he tentatively reached out to check for a pulse himself, wanting the confirmation that his friend was indeed still alive, that Ronon hadn't been mistaken. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found one, even though it felt weak and fluttery.

Sheppard groaned as he started to regain consciousness. Rodney peered at him expectantly. "Sheppard?" He was disappointed to see that Sheppard gave no sign that he had heard his name, his eyes only half open and unfocused. Sheppard made a choking sound and Rodney recognised it quickly turning him onto his side where he promptly vomited what remained of a power-bar Rodney had forced on him earlier. He wrinkled his own nose at the smell and concentrated on rolling Sheppard back and trying to ignore his own nausea.

Ronon continued his checks and noticed the blood on Sheppard's leg, He quickly found the still bleeding injury, shrapnel visible in the wound. A field dressing appeared in his field of vision and he glanced up to see Rodney holding it out to him. Nodding he took the bandage from Rodney and used it to strap Sheppard's leg in a bid to stop the blood flow. Sheppard grunted as Ronon tightened the bandage.

Rodney glanced at Sheppard's face and saw the pain etched there. "You always have to be the hero." remarked Rodney as he checked the fresh head wound before extracting another bandage from his vest and wrapping it around Sheppard's head. "If you keep hitting your head like this and you'll have to retake that Mensa test." He ignored the glare that Ronon threw his way.

Ronon checked Sheppard over for any other injuries that required immediate attention, finding the broken ribs but knowing there was little that he could do for those. "We need to get him back to the gate. I'll carry him."

"I can walk."

Ronon looked back down at his friend, seeing the recognition in his eyes. "It will be quicker if I carry you."

"Walk." repeated Sheppard.

"What did I say about being stoic?" asked Rodney "Let him carry you. If you must walk save it for the stargate."

Sheppard looked at his friend's face and saw the fear written there. Fear for him. He nodded his acceptance, closing his eyes for a moment against the spinning sensation the ill-considered movement had triggered. Ronon lifted Sheppard's left arm to pick him up. Rodney noticed the remaining colour drain from Sheppard's face as he cried out in pain before he passed out again. Ronon quickly lowered Sheppard's arm concerned that he had caused his friend more pain.

"Crap. That's his injured arm. He must've taken the bandage off to fly the Dart." Rodney grabbed another bandage and strapped Sheppard's arm to his chest to protect it from further movement.

Ronon moved to Sheppard's other side and gently lifted him as he pushed himself upright. "Let's take him home".

"We have to find the locals first." replied Rodney "We need them to convince Atlantis that this isn't a trick to get them to lower the shield. Their settlement is on the other side of the gate."

"We'd better get moving then." replied Ronon as he started back up the embankment ignoring the complaint from his injured thigh. He'd fought the Wraith with worse, he'd make it back to the gate.

Rodney gathered his gear and followed. Johnson looked across at the remains of the Wraith vessel amazed that anyone could've survived the crash given the damage the vehicle had sustained.

"Move your butt, Johnson." yelled Rodney from over the embankment.

Johnson turned away from the wreckage and started after the others.

Rodney looked over at his friend as he struggled to keep up with the pace Ronon had set. Sheppard's eyes remained closed for which he was grateful. Sheppard had a high pain threshold and he often played down his injuries but it had been obvious that he was really hurting this time. He was sure Sheppard had hit his head again when the Dart had crashed. If he survived this Beckett would probably ground him for weeks maybe months. And Sheppard would hate every minute of it making the life of everyone around him insufferable until he was allowed back on duty. But he was willing to put up with it if it meant he got his best friend back in one piece. He made a mental note to order a bunch of extra DVDs in the next supply run. By the time they arrived on the Daedalus Sheppard would be well and truly getting stir crazy and ready for a distraction.

"McKay."

Ronon's voice broke him out of his reverie and he noticed the locals approaching many wearing chainmail and all bearing swords. He recognized the big man leading the group as Tylus. His long grey hair was tied back neatly in the same style worn by all of the local men. A thick beard clinging to his chin barely disguising the scar that ran along his jaw line disappearing behind the damaged ear lobe and into the thick hair. Ronon acknowledged his approach with a slight nod of the head. One warrior to another.

"Tylus just the people we were looking for." greeted McKay stepping forward to meet the group.

Tylus looked across at Ronon and the injured man that he carried before glancing back at the charred remains of a Dart engine still smouldering beside the torn earth and finally returning his attention to the man stood before him looking tired and dishevelled.

"Dr McKay. Oron was on watch and reported seeing a Wraith Dart come through the Ring of the Ancestors. He did not report seeing your arrival. What has happened here? Who is this man?"

"Ah…We were in the…um…Dart." replied Rodney waving his hand in Ronon's direction.

"We stole it." added Ronon.

"Yes, what he said. Colonel Sheppard flew it-"

"There are no Wraith?" asked Tylus.

"No Wraith. Look, the Colonel has been injured and we need to get him back to Atlantis so that our medical people can treat him."

"Then why do you come here? Why did you not simply dial Atlantis in the first place?" asked a smaller man from behind Tylus.

"Unfortunately it's not that simple. We were trapped on another world and we've been gone for two months. Atlantis most likely thinks that we are dead. They are not going to trust that we are who we say we are." explained Rodney.

"We need your help." added Ronon.

Sheppard groaned as he started to regain consciousness. Tylus walked over and inspected the injured man as his eyes fluttered open. He could see for himself that the man's injuries were serious.

"We will help. We are not far from the Ring. Darus run ahead and contact Atlantis, tell them that we have found their missing people. We will be but minutes behind you. Go."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh dear, poor Shep. Will the boys get him home before he suffers any more injuries? How will Weir react if they do get home? If you wanna know you'll have to submit a review using that grey button. You know the one. If you don't it's time to make friends with it. You know you want to. A new chapter will be coming to a PC near you.


	36. Chapter 36

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

A revamped version of Chapter 35 is available for anyone who thought that it felt a little underdone as did Yours. Truly. Emily. The outcome didn't change and Sheppard's injuries didn't get any worse but I wound up the angst for our boys a little and added a little more meat to the bones. It has changed enough that a re-read shouldn't be too dull but it isn't essential for the plot-line. Again thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do as we are nearing the end of this journey. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 36**

Weir sat on the bed in Sheppard's old room as she read through his copy of War and Peace. She knew she should pack his belongings and ship them back to Earth but she knew of no-one to send them to. In the few years she had known him he had not spoken of any family back on Earth. She was reluctant to call it home since it had ceased to feel like that for her and she knew that Sheppard felt the same. _Damn. Why do I still think of him in the present tense?_ It was over two months since she last saw him. Time perhaps to finally admit that he was gone. That was what the memorial service a couple of weeks ago had been for; a mechanism to allow everyone to grieve for their loss and accept that they weren't coming back. There would be no miracle rescue this time. No Hail Mary. She smiled at the memory of finding his team in the rec room watching a DVD of some Superbowl game and explaining to Teyla what a Hail Mary was.

His room no longer smelled of his aftershave. She'd hidden herself here in the first few days after Zelenka had reported back about the device. He had been convinced that the device had transported them forward in time but they could not determine how far forward or the likelihood of surviving the transfer. The smell of his aftershave had brought tears to her eyes as she realized that she had lost a part of herself. As the days wore by she had come to welcome the smell convincing herself that as long as she could smell that fragrance then he was still near. That he would still return to her. The smell had faded as all smells do and that was when she had decided it was time for the memorial. Atlantis needed to move on. She needed to move on. But still she couldn't part with his belongings.

She was still sat on the bed when the doorbell chimed. She had tried to keep her visits to John's room secret but it hadn't taken long for Carson and Teyla to see what was happening. One of them had obviously decided she needed checking on again. She didn't mind she knew they meant well.

"Come in."

The door slid open and Teyla stepped into the room. Seeing the room unchanged from when its occupant had left unnerved her. Her people did not remember lost loved ones in this manner. The door slid shut behind her.

"Teyla."

"Dr Weir. You have been in here for several hours."

Weir put the book down where she had found it, leaving John's book mark on the same page. "I know you worry about me Teyla but I'm not ready to let him go just yet."

"I do not ask you to let him go. Just that you let yourself go. He would not want you to torture yourself everyday by sitting in his room amongst his things."

"They bring me comfort, remind me of him."

"Are not those memories in here?" asked Teyla raising her hand to her heart.

"They are but I just wish..." Weir stopped suddenly uncomfortable with talking about her wishes.

"That you had told him how you felt. I am sure that he felt the same way."

Weir looked away. "I'm not so sure."

"Dr Zelenka was intoxicated at the memorial. He was in a talkative mood and told me something about Arnyetta that I did not know. He told me that the device was designed to extract an image of a loved one from the operator's mind. When the Colonel operated it the device created an image of you. His feelings are quite clear even if he did not admit them to you or himself."

Weir sank back onto the bed as the tears began to flow as she felt regret at the loss of what could've been if only either one of them had admitted their feelings. Teyla sat on the bed next to her and held her.

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Teyla walked with Weir back to her office.

"I'll be okay now Teyla. Thanks."

"You are welcome." replied Teyla as she left Weir to her work.

Weir opened her laptop to start on her work as the gate alarm activated. She left her office and crossed the walkway to stand behind Chuck. "No-one is off world." The gate lights locked in and the wormhole whooshed into the room before settling down. "Anything?"

Chuck looked at his laptop. "Not yet."

Weir crossed her arms as she continued to watch the gate.

"We've got a code. It's Tylus of the Reelan."

Weir frowned as she thought back to the visit Sheppard's team had paid to the people of Reelan several months ago bringing back tales reminiscent of the Middle Ages on Earth with knights in chainmail defending their realm against other worlds that would choose to steal from those with a more bountiful harvest. The Reelan defences worked well against such attacks but had proved less successful against the attacks of the Wraith. The visit by Sheppard's team had coincided with an attack by the Wraith. An attack that Sheppard had been instrumental in thwarting thanks to his skills with the puddlejumper and its drones. The gratitude of the Reelans had been instant and overwhelming in its abundance. Sheppard's team had returned slightly worse for wear with a jumper filled with supplies provided by their new allies. The next trade was not due for some weeks. "Lower the shield, Chuck. Tylus, you may come through."

Chuck did as directed as she moved down the steps to greet the Reelan representative as he stepped into the gateroom. She saw his eyes drawn around the room as the large man got his first view of Atlantis. His eyes stopped on her as he took a step forward his expression changing from one of awe to one of concern.

"Tylus, what is wrong? Has Reelan come under Wraith attack again?" asked Weir as she reached the bottom step.

"Reelan is safe, Dr Weir. Thanks to your people. No we have found something that belongs to you and wish to return it safely." replied Tylus.

Weir's confusion deepened. "I don't understand. What-" She stopped her mouth still open as Rodney stepped from the wormhole and into the gate room. She stared at him in disbelief taking in his dishevelled state and the palpable exhaustion that seemed to drip from his body.

Rodney spotted Weir with Tylus. "Elizabeth, we need a medical team, now!"

She could hear the call being made as she took a step forward scarcely able to believe what her eyes were telling her brain. Rodney was alive and if he was so might be Sheppard. The thought of Sheppard brought her out of herself and she took the last few steps to join Rodney just as Dr Johnson stepped from the wormhole.

She gave him a quick glance noticing that he looked in better health than Rodney before returning her attention to her Chief Scientist reaching out to touch him still unable to believe that he was really there. "Rodney, where are the others? Are they okay?"

Before Rodney could answer Ronon limped into the gateroom supporting Sheppard's weight with his shoulder. Weir took in their appearance, concern and shock lining her face at the sight of them. She could see that Sheppard had borne the brunt of whatever trouble had found them. His clothes were torn and blood stained, his left arm was bound to his chest and what she could see of his face as it drooped towards his chest was also bruised and bloodied . She rushed to him, wanted to touch him but she was afraid that he would disappear if she did. She tried to see his face but couldn't. Not clearly as his head drooped down. "John?"

Sheppard recognized her voice, heard the uncertainty. Uncertainty that matched his own. Was he finally home? He lifted his head ignoring the extra jackhammers that started up in his head at the movement and saw two women before him. Both had brunette hair and the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen. He gave them both his trademark grin. "Liz'beth…Sorry we're…late."

She managed to reach out in time grabbing for his Tac-vest as he passed out. "Where's that med team?" shouted Weir.

"Here." replied Carson as he ran into the gate room followed by a team of medical personnel. He stopped when he saw who his patients were before his training kicked in. Carson soon forgot his shock as he moved quickly to Weir's side. "Let's get him on the gurney."

Weir nodded and let one of Beckett's team take over supporting Sheppard's weight, knowing that he was in good hands. She watched as Ronon helped the medic lift Sheppard onto the waiting gurney where Beckett began a quick check of his vitals starting with the penlight she knew he loathed. She felt a hand on her arm and looked up to see Ronon by her side.

"He's tough. He'll make it."

Weir nodded despite her worries. "What happened out there?"

Ronon continued to watch Sheppard. "It's a long story."

"I…need you to sit down." said the young medic stepping into Ronon's line of sight.

Ronon glanced to his right and spotted the wheelchair. "I can walk."

The young medic swallowed. Weir smiled. "Be nice Ronon and do as he says." She saw him looking back towards where Beckett was working on Sheppard the smile leaving her face to be replaced with her own worries as her attention was drawn back to the man she had nearly given up as dead. "He's in good hands."

Weir watched as Ronon relented letting himself be wheeled away to the infirmary his attention remaining on Sheppard until he was out of sight. Weir returned her attention to Sheppard to see him being wheeled away to the infirmary with Beckett following.

She noticed that McKay and Johnson were still there. Frozen in place. Both shell-shocked. She knew how they felt torn between wanting to rush to the infirmary herself to keep an eye on Sheppard and wanting to runaway to her balcony where she could collapse into an emotional heap. But she knew she could not do either. Not yet. _Somedays being the leader sucks!_ She smiled despite herself recognizing the influence on her internal language by her military commander. She straightened her shoulders and approached the two doctors. "Report to the infirmary and get yourselves checked."

Rodney shook himself out of his stupor and looked at Weir realizing that she had spoken to him.

Weir saw the confusion on his face and repeated her instructions. "I'll be there in a moment. There is someone else I need to speak to first." She watched as Rodney glanced over at Tylus before heading out of the gateroom along with Johnson. "Thank you, Tylus, for bringing them back."

"You are welcome, Dr Weir. I only wish we had found them in better health. I hope that they recover well, my people owe Colonel Sheppard a great deal for what he has done for my people."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Almost there guys & gals. Only one more chapter to go, I think. But as you can see I have returned them all even if they are a little worse for wear. Well hopefully it is a little and not a lot worse for wear but maybe I should leave the diagnosis to the experts. For anyone who has been following the guys on their adventure and hasn't lodged a review, your time is running out. Why not join the elite club and press that little grey button? Go on, I can feel your finger hovering over the button. Just one click is all it takes. What could be easier?


	37. Chapter 37

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her quick review of this chapter despite having much of her own writing to do. Any mistakes here are purely my own. And apologies for the delay in posting this chapter, blame the word thief who made it virtually impossible for me to revise the draft into something I was happy to publish. Thanks to him it's taken a week longer than planned and numerous attempts at revising this. At last I think it is ready for the world to see.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. If you haven't left a review yet then, please do. It's easy. All comments are welcome and I will reply. Now on with the adventure.

**Chapter 37 - Epilogue**

Weir entered the infirmary to find Rodney head down and pacing, the exhaustion showing in the slump of his shoulders. He stopped and looked up when he heard her approach not bothering to hide the worry for his friend that was evident on his face. She wanted to ask him what had happened to them, why they had been unable to use the time machine to return to their own time. But those questions could wait. They didn't matter. Not now that she had them back.

"Any news?" asked Weir.

Rodney shook his head. "No." His eyes drifted over to where a blood stained bandage lay on the floor alongside the remains of a uniform. "Beckett rushed him into surgery…something about internal bleeding. I shouldn't-"

"And Ronon?" interrupted Weir as her gaze followed his.

"In surgery too. Keller says he'll be fine despite his leg being cut up pretty bad." Rodney began pacing again.

Weir understood his apprehension, felt it herself. She knew she should try to calm him but her mind drifted back to the image of _him_ stepping through the gate, so obviously hurting yet still trying to make light of it. She felt like crying as she let herself drop into the waiting room chair. Tears of joy for he was back. And tears of anguish for she might lose him yet.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand placed on her shoulder. Looking up she saw Teyla watching her with concern. She wanted to say that she was fine but she didn't feel find and doubted that she could fool Teyla of all people. Behind Teyla she spotted Lorne. She suspected he was another one that was aware of the depth of her feelings towards Sheppard. She was grateful for his support over the last two months. She knew it had not been easy stepping into his CO's position especially when the IOA had been keen to replace Sheppard once they had learned of his absence. It was only her negotiating skills with the aid of Caldwell that had seen the replacement decision being deferred for now.

"Any word?" asked Lorne.

Weir shook her head not trusting her voice. Teyla sat down next to her, letting her hand slide down onto her arm.

"Dr Beckett is a good doctor. He will do everything that he can."

"I know he is Teyla." replied Weir.

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Dr Keller opened the doors leading out from the operating room and saw the group of faces that looked towards her expectantly. She sighed. No doubt they wanted news of Sheppard's condition and she knew no more than they did. She took a deep breath and walked over to them. Weir rose from her chair and Teyla followed suit keeping her hand on Weir's arm, a gentle reminder that whatever news they received, she was not alone.

"How is he?" asked Weir.

"Ronon's surgery went well. The nurses are moving him to the Recovery area. Once he's settled you can see him in if you like."

"And the Colonel?" asked Rodney.

Keller turned to face Rodney taking in his appearance properly for the first time. "Dr Beckett is still operating. Colonel Sheppard's injuries are serious. Sorry I can't say any more at the moment." replied Keller. "You should get some rest, Rodney. You look exhausted."

"I'm not leaving." replied Rodney.

"We will keep an eye on him." added Teyla.

Keller sighed and nodded, realizing that no-one was going anywhere until they had news from Beckett. "I'll order some coffee and food to be brought down. It could be a long wait."

"Thank you." replied Weir sinking back down into her chair. She stood again when she saw Nurse Davies enter the waiting area heading in their direction a few minutes later.

"Sorry, there's no more news on the Colonel yet but you can visit Ronon now if you like. He's still a little groggy from the anaesthetic."

Nurse Davies led them through to where Ronon lay and left them. Weir moved up to the head of the bed and looked down at the big man whose eyes were closed noting how young he looked and how gentle. She had been unsure of him when Sheppard had first suggested that Ronon be allowed to join his team. Now she was glad that she had allowed him to. He had proven to be very loyal and very protective, especially where Sheppard was concerned. She had no doubt that he would sacrifice himself to protect Atlantis and especially Sheppard.

Teyla moved up to the head of the bed on the opposite side and studied the man before her. The man she had missed over the last two months. His face was clean now and she could see the minor cuts and bruises that the layer of dirt had hidden from them. She reached out to touch him as if not believing he was really back. "Ronon?"

Ronon slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the bright lights of the infirmary. "Hey."

Teyla and Weir both smiled at his typically brief response.

"Hey back." replied Weir.

"How's Sheppard?" asked Ronon.

"Still in surgery. He should've been out by now." replied Rodney from his position at the foot of the bed.

Teyla gave Rodney her warning glare but he was looking down at his hands buried in his own misery. She looked across at Weir to see her eyes closed her arms crossed in front of her protectively. "I am sure that Doctor Beckett is just being thorough." Looking down at Ronon she could see the drugs re-asserting themselves as he drifted back off to sleep. "Ronon is asleep. We should let him rest."

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Lorne handed Weir a cup of coffee before nodding his head in Rodney's direction. "Wouldn't he be more comfortable sleeping in one of the beds?"

"Thanks, probably." replied Weir raising the cup to her lips. She stopped and handed the cup to Teyla when she saw an exhausted Beckett approaching and stood to meet the news, good or bad. "Carson, how is he?"

"He's holding his own. I'll not lie to you, Elizabeth, he got banged up pretty good this time."

Rodney stirred at the sound of voices, scrambling to his feet alongside Weir when he noticed Beckett.

"Just tell me the details. How bad is it?" asked Weir.

Teyla moved closer and placed a hand on Weir's arm, noticing that Lorne had moved closer on her other side. Whatever the news, Teyla knew that Weir would receive support from her friends. That at least some people were aware of just how much Colonel Sheppard had come to mean to her. She spared a glance for Rodney, lost in his own emotions and unaware of anyone else at the moment.

"His spleen was ruptured. We managed to stop the bleeding and save the organ." He paused in his report when he saw Elizabeth was barely in control of her emotions.

Weir closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Beckett again. "Keep going."

"There was a nasty piece of shrapnel in his right thigh, there appears to be no nerve damage so it should heal nicely. His collar bone and scapula are both broken as are four ribs. Luckily they didn't puncture his lung. I'm more concerned about his head injury at the moment or more precisely head injuries. It looks like he has taken two serious blows to the head, one at the front and one at the back. The one to the back caused a small fracture and there is some fluid build-up." Beckett reached out to support Weir when she looked like she was about to collapse and guided her back to her chair. "We'll monitor him and if the pressure increases we'll go in and release it but it might not come to that."

"From the story Rodney told he's lucky to be alive." stated Lorne.

"I'd agree. His injuries are serious but he's a fighter. I'm sure he will be okay." replied Beckett.

"Can we see him?" asked Rodney.

"Aye. He's not conscious but you can all see him for a few minutes then I want you all to get some rest."

Rodney moved towards the Recovery area stopping when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to see Teyla. "What?"

"Give her a moment, Rodney." She noticed the puzzled expression on his face. _Obviously he is not aware of Elizabeth's feelings for John._ "This has been a most stressful time for Doctor Weir. She has had to make several difficult decisions. You must understand we did not know whether we would see any of you again. Once Doctor Zelenka worked out that we could not pull you back from the future with the device, Major Lorne volunteered to carry a message to you so that you could reverse the device. We did not know if the forces from the device had killed all of you or not. Doctor Weir thought it was too great a risk and did not want to lose any more lives. It was not easy for her to make that choice as it was not easy for her to decide it was time to hold a memorial service."

"You held a memorial service for us? Was it nice? What did people say about me?"

Teyla smiled at that. "Yes. It was and everyone spoke fondly of you as they did the others. Everyone from Atlantis attended as did my people. Doctor Weir thought it was important for everyone to accept what had happened and to move on but I do not think she had truly given up hope of your return until this morning. Your sudden return though much desired has re-opened any doubts that she may have had about the decisions that she has made. We must show her our support and give her the time that she needs."

"Of course."

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Weir studied the man in the bed before her, taking in the dark bruising on his face. The undamaged skin was as pale as the white bandage on his temple. She moved to the top of the bed noticing that his left arm was strapped to his chest to immobilize it. She returned her attention back to his face and wished that she could see his hazel eyes. Then maybe she could truly believe that he would be fine. At the moment he looked so vulnerable, so fragile, so unlike the man she knew.

She took his free hand in hers, needing proof that he was real and not another one of her dreams where he had returned only to find out that he was a ghost. She wondered when it was that she had fallen in love with the man before her and found she couldn't pinpoint a single moment. Rather she recalled his many actions that demonstrated his care for those he was responsible for and the passion that drove those actions. His confidence and belief in her had shown itself too after a rocky start. She had come to rely on his support and his ability to lighten her mood whenever things, like the ever present threat of death and destruction, got her down. She didn't know how he could remain light hearted in such circumstances but she was glad that he could.

She could feel the tears building as her emotions from the last two months threatened to overwhelm her. Earlier today she had been ready to accept that he was not going to return and now here he was but still with a cloud hanging over him. She knew without the need for Carson to tell her that his head injury was serious.

Her thoughts were interrupted and she quickly wiped the moisture from her eye as she heard the footsteps of the others approaching.

Teyla joined her, noticing the moisture in her eyes. "He is strong, Dr Weir. He will recover."

Weir nodded. She knew that he had come back from previous serious injuries and wanted to believe that he would come back from this as well. She looked across at Rodney as he stood on the other side of the bed looking down at his best friend. She knew he was blaming himself. While they had waited for news, Rodney had filled her in on what had happened to them. He blamed himself for not working out what the device was before Sheppard accidentally triggered it. He blamed himself for not noticing the difference in time on his laptop from that of the device sooner so that he would've had the time to work out how to reverse it before the Wraith had shown up. "It's not your fault, Rodney."

Rodney looked across at her, wanting to agree but not able to let go of his guilt. He opened his mouth to tell her how wrong she was. That he shouldn't have been so eager to go to the planet. He should've waited until they had retrieved all of the information from PX3-M37 then he would have known what the device was and stayed well clear of it or at least kept Sheppard clear from anything that remotely resembled a trigger.

Beckett joined the group around Sheppard's bed interrupting anything the scientist was about to say. "It's time for you lot to get some rest." Beckett looked from his patient to Rodney, aware that the man was exhausted. "And no sneaking back here with your laptop, Rodney or I'll put you in the next bed and sedate you."

Teyla smiled at Carson's threat. She had no doubts that he would carry it out. McKay nodded taking one more look at his friend before turning to leave. "Call me-".

"Aye, don't worry I will." replied Beckett moving in to take Rodney's place beside his patient and starting his checks. He looked up when Weir remained where she was still holding Sheppard's hand in hers.

"You should get some rest as well, Elizabeth."

"I'd like to stay for a little while longer."

"Okay lass, I know how much you have missed him but only a little longer mind."

"Thank you, Carson."

Beckett completed his checks and wrote the results down on Sheppard's chart before leaving Weir to her solitary vigil. He decided he would give her ten minutes more and then he would threaten her in the same way he had threatened McKay. She may not have been missing off-world for two months but she had endured many sleepless nights during that time and needed sleep just as badly as McKay did.

Weir waited until Beckett left before cupping Sheppard's bruised cheek with her palm."I'm glad you're back, John. I've missed you."

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Next morning Rodney sat in the chair by the head of Sheppard's bed tapping away on his laptop as he read his way through science reports from the two months that he had been missing. Reports mostly of the work that had been done to understand the device and how it worked all with the purpose of working out how to bring the missing team members back. It was both heartwarming and depressing at the same time. He was sure that if he'd been the one doing the research that he would've managed to solve the matter.

"It could be a while before he regains consciousness, Rodney." said Beckett as he entered the cubicle to check on his patient.

"I know, you said that last night." Rodney watched as Beckett checked Sheppard's eyes again. "Is he…Is he going to be himself. I mean isn't there a danger that with multiple head injuries of …" Rodney stopped unable to ask the question he was thinking in case he got the answer that he didn't want to hear.

"Brain damage? Aye there is but he recognized Elizabeth before he passed out. That's a good sign and the brain bleed has stopped but I'll know more when he regains consciousness."

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Rodney was asleep in the chair beside Sheppard's bed when Weir entered, his laptop forgotten and in danger of crashing to the floor as it sat on his lap at a precarious angle. She approached him quietly and rescued the laptop leaving him to sleep as she moved over to the head of Sheppard's bed. It was two days since he'd returned to her. Two days since she had last heard his voice. Two days of sharing the bedside vigil with the others that cared for him while they waited for him to regain consciousness.

She leaned in close."It's time to wake up, John. You're friends are anxious to see that you're alright. So am I." She brushed his unruly hair away from his face smiling as it disobeyed and fell back into its usual mess. She was glad to see that his face held a little more colour than it had two days ago, a sign that he was gradually improving. Beckett had told her that the fluid building-up on his brain had stopped and there would be no need to operate but he could still give no indication of when Sheppard was likely to regain consciousness.

She reached out and took his hand into hers as she had each time she visited him since his return. She wished she could spend all her time by his side but her duties kept her away more than she would like and she took some comfort knowing that one of his team was always by his side when she couldn't be.

She thought back to the first day that she had met him and remembered the awe she had felt at stumbling across someone with so much control over the ATA gene. She also remembered her frustration when he hadn't immediately accepted her offer of joining the expedition. Since then she had had several occasions where she rued his independent nature and many times when she was grateful for it. She understood now that it stemmed from his strong need to protect those he felt responsible for and especially those he cared about. A need that frequently placed him in danger and all too often in the infirmary. "You have to stop scaring me like this, John."

She tightened her grip on his hand as she remembered his many trips to the infirmary. This time she felt his fingers move against hers and looked back to his face. He moved his head slightly, groaning as he did so.

"Carson! It's John, he's waking." shouted Weir not wanting to let go of his hand.

Rodney shot upright in his chair at the sound of Weir's voice. "Huh?"

"He's waking, Rodney."

Sheppard slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the harsh lights.

"Welcome back, John." Weir gave his hand a gentle squeeze and watched as his eyes slowly turned towards her. His eyes looked glassy and she suspected he was seeing double. "You're in the infirmary. You're going to be alright."

"No thanks to me." stated Rodney as he moved closer to the bed "You had us all worried when you crashed in the Dart."

Sheppard slowly swivelled his attention to Rodney. Weir was concerned that he hadn't said anything yet. She looked towards Rodney and saw the look of worry on his face as well.

"I'm...um...Sorry that I got us into that mess and I'm sorry that I got you hurt." admitted Rodney.

Sheppard continued to look at Rodney, his eyes half shut against the light. "It…wasn't your…fault, Rodney."

Carson entered the cubicle to see his patient awake and smiled. "Glad to have you back, lad." Carson took his penlight from his pocket and checked Sheppard's eyes getting a growl of complaint from him. "I'll give you something for the headache and your other aches and pains in a moment but I just need to check that everything is working first. Do you remember what happened?"

"Time…machine." replied Sheppard his voice barely more than a whisper. "Wraith."

Carson gave him a smile. "Well it looks like you have all of your faculties." He turned to the IV tube and inserted the syringe. "This will make you drowsy so try to get some sleep."

"Ronon?" asked Sheppard.

"He's fine. He'll be released in the morning. You on the other hand will be with us for several more days, I'm afraid." replied Beckett.

"And you had better behave this time." added Weir.

Sheppard turned his attention back to Weir, glad to have the chance to see her again. "Don't…I…always."

Carson noticed where Sheppard was looking and grabbed Rodney's arm pulling him away from the couple. "Come on Rodney. Time you got some rest of your own. In your own room for a change. You can come back tomorrow."

"But.."

"No buts. Just go or I'll bring out the big needle."

"Fine. I'm going."

Carson smiled as McKay made a rapid exit. The big needle threat always seemed to work. He looked back and saw Sheppard's eyes slowly close as the drugs kicked in. Weir leant over him and kissed him on the cheek before turning to leave. She saw Carson watching her and blushed slightly before making her own exit from the infirmary.

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Their Return + 2 weeks (or so)

Weir entered Sheppard's cubicle to find Beckett with him. He looked much better than he had when he'd first returned through the gate but she knew he was far from well. "How's our reluctant patient doing today?"

"He's ready to be released." replied Sheppard.

Weir smiled at his impatience. His complaints although annoying were another indication that he was well on the way to recovery. So was the fact that he had already made two escape attempts. He hadn't even made it out of the infirmary the first time before being caught by Beckett and given a solid telling off by the irate Scotsman about the risks of tearing stitches or falling and hitting his head again whilst still recovering from a fractured skull. That warning had lasted for a few days until the second attempt which had been thwarted by Ronon and came with the threat of many heavy training sessions with no-holds barred if a third attempt to escape was made. She was glad to note that there had been no third attempt.

"And just when did you get your medical degree?" asked Carson "I'll be the one deciding when you are ready to leave." He dragged his penlight from his pocket and flashed it into the Colonel's left eye.

"My head's fine."

"So you say. But I know what you're like so you won't mind if I check it for myself."

Carson completed his checks. "Okay, Colonel. I'm releasing you but you're off duty until I say otherwise. I don't want you doing even light duties for a few more days."

"I'll make sure he behaves." added Weir. She waited for him outside the cubicle while Sheppard changed into his track-pants and a t-shirt.

"Are you making sure I go straight to my room?" asked Sheppard when he limped from the cubicle to find Weir waiting for him. "I don't need a baby-sitter."

"Yes I am. I've missed you. I thought we could watch a movie together." replied Weir "I've got pop-corn."

"Pop-corn? Great, lead on. What's the movie? Please tell me it's not a chick flick?"

"Would it be so bad if it was?" asked Weir.

Sheppard groaned. "Great. It's a chick flick."

Weir laughed. "It's _The Peacemaker_."

**The End**

**A/N 1: **Before I get into the speeches I have some housekeeping that needs to be taken care of. Firstly, I apologise for any scientific or medical errors as neither of these are my specialty and you can only learn so much from books and the internet. Secondly, the scientist mentioned by Radek, Frank Tipfler is a real scientist and his theory is real and generally accepted as a plausible method to achieve time travel. Not sure I'd like to be the first human to try it though given the risk of being crushed to death in the process. Sheppard got off lightly only being thrown against the wall. Anyway for those interested in the idea and don't want to read a book that is heavy on equations and hard core physics, I suggest you read Breaking the Time Barrier by Jenny Randles.

**A/N 2:**Thirdly, how many of you spotted the clues along the way? The torch that mysteriously turned up from the jumper, the change in seasons, the black hole reference by Radek earlier on in the story. The title. They were not only running out of time, they were removed from time – for two months they did not exist in the Pegasus galaxy or anywhere else. Please drop a final review and let me know what you thought of the story. I'd love to hear from you.

**A/N 3:** For those that took the time to post a review you have my thanks. Thanks also to those that put this story on their alert list or in their favourites. I hope you have enjoyed the ride as much as I enjoyed writing it. I originally wrote a short draft of this story last year and have spent the last few months working on refining it and adding some sub-plots. I doubt that it would've been completed without the positive feedback from you the readers. So please take a bow. I'd also like to thank my ever patient beta, Nika Dixon who had to endure reading the raw chapters. They are much improved thanks to her feedback. Any mistakes that have made it through are wholly mine and mine alone.

I have a sequel for this story in mind but it is only in draft form at present. It promises to be somewhat shorter but for those who like Shep/Weir there will be further development of their relationship. There are a couple of other ideas under development as well so if you wish to give any of my future stories a shot then please register for an author alert or visit my blog available through my profile page. I'd love to have you along for the ride. And to Shepsgirl72, she was the winner of the challenge so keep an eye out for Emma Bradshaw, her alter ego in an upcoming story.


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